A Long Nine Months
by dreamwriter32
Summary: Ginny's threatened Harry during her pregnancies with her sons that he will carry the next one. When disaster strikes when Albus is born Ginny becomes unable to have another child. When Albus turns one, she wants a daughter. The healer's suggestion? Harry gets pregnant and carries the baby. I don't own Harry Potter. Now with new cover! 2/27/16
1. Prologue

A Long Nine Months

It was mid-August of 2006. Ginny Potter had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of her second child for a while now. She sat on an examination table at St. Mungo's, ready for one of her weekly checkups. Healer Shanti Willis, who had delivered James just under a year ago, came in with Ginny's file, sat down, and thumbed through it.

"So how are you doing today, Ginny?" she asked conversationally.

"I'm ready for Albus to get here, but I can wait another three weeks."

Shanti proceeded with the usual tests and spells, and everything seemed to be in good shape until she performed the ultrasound and discovered that baby Albus was in distress.

"Looks like the cord is wrapped around his neck," she informed Ginny. "I'm going to have to perform a cesarean. Let's get you set up."

One of Shanti's nurses came in and escorted Ginny to the maternity ward. Once she was set up in a room, she sent a Patronus to her mother, Molly, who promptly showed up five minutes later in a panic, plus one more to her husband, Harry.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Harry!"

Twenty-six-year-old Harry Potter looked up from his paperwork as his brother-in-law, Ron Weasley, came bursting through the door to his office.

"They're calling a meeting in the conference room," the redhead informed him. "Another Death Eater's been captured and is awaiting…"

Before he could finish, though, a silver doe entered the office. Harry wasn't prepared for what the Patronus was about to say.

"Harry, you need to come to St. Mungo's. NOW. Something's wrong with Albus!"

And the doe dissipated, leaving Harry staring white as a sheet as the fine mist vanished. It took him a moment to register the fact that Ron was watching him with concern. He shook himself and composed himself enough to say, "I'm going to St. Mungo's. Tell Robards I'm sorry, but I need to go."

After giving some extra instructions to Ron, he took off to the Floo that was connected to St. Mungo's and arrived in a stumbling, sooty mess. He vanished the soot from his clothes and hair as he ran full-pelt past his family in the waiting room and up the stairs to the maternity ward. He stopped when he found Shanti.

"How is she?" he asked, panting for breath.

"We're going to have to do a cesarean," Shanti explained. "The cord is wrapped around Albus's neck, but he'll be fine once we get him out."

Harry nodded and entered the room where his wife lay.

"Harry, I thought you weren't going to come! I'm sorry, I know you've been busy lately and I wasn't sure if my Patronus would even make it to – "

Harry kissed her to cut her off. "You're more important," he said.

Shanti returned and handed Harry scrubs to put on and in moments they were on their way to the delivery room. Shanti began the cesarean, worried that if they waited any longer Albus would be stillborn. It took her awhile, but she finally located Albus and started to pull him out. She untangled the cord around his neck and he let out an almighty cry as if to say, "I'm here!"

Some of the color returned to Harry's face as he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Hello, Albus, I'm Mummy," Ginny said once Shanti had cleaned him up and handed him over to her. She held him for some time before handing him off to Harry.

"Ah! You look just like me!" Harry remarked as he handed Albus to the nurse to take him to the nursery. "Poor thing…"

"Harry, we need you to go with Albus and see to him while we're fixing Ginny up."

Harry kissed Ginny's head and followed the nurse out the doors.

Little did he know that in that moment, it could have been the last time he would ever see his wife alive.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry entered the waiting room and was immediately met with a hoard of Weasleys.

"Harry, how's Ginny?"

"Is the baby okay?"

"What does he weigh?"

Harry stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled to get their attention.

"One at a time, folks. They're finishing her up, she did fine, Albus is okay, and he's about six pounds," he informed the family. He felt little hands pull on his pants leg and looked down to see James.

"Where Mummy?"

"Mummy had your baby brother. We'll see her real soon." Harry lifted James into his arms and led Arthur and Molly to the nursery.

"They're keeping him here overnight because of the cord being wrapped around his neck. They want to make sure he's okay."

Molly instantly started cooing her newest grandchild. "Awwh, he's precious! Hello, Albus, I'm your grandma." Molly rubbed Albus's little head.

"He looks like you, Harry," Arthur commented.

"Just his luck, eh?"

"Baby, dass muh baby bwudduh," James said, causing the adults to giggle.

Unfortunately, the happy moment came to an end almost as soon as it had begun.

"Um, Harry."

Harry turned to see Shanti standing there with a look on her face that scared him. The color that had returned to Harry face fled instantly, making him look white as the walls around him.

"Can I talk to you?"

Harry nodded and handed James to Arthur, mechanically following Shanti out into the hall. His heart was pounding rapidly – nothing could prepare him for what he was about to hear.

"Is everything okay?"

"She had a uterine rupture after you left with Albus. She started bleeding and, well… We tried to stop it. I put her to sleep to try to do more, but I'm going to have to remove her uterus to stop the bleeding. That means she won't have periods anymore and won't…"

"Have another baby," Harry finished, staring into space.

Shanti nodded. "When Ginny recovers and if you two want to have another one, we can discuss the options."

Harry nodded, feeling like his entire world was falling down around him. "You said something about needing permission," he said, his voice cracking.

Shanti handed him the waiver form to sign. "She's not out of the woods yet. She should be done in about an hour."

Harry nodded and asked the question that was burning in his mind. "How close did I come to losing her?"

Shanti sighed. "Very."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry waited until he was alone before he fell back against the wall, sliding down to the floor. He placed his hand over his face and let out the emotions that he'd been holding in for the last five minutes.

"Harry."

He looked up as his mother-in-law lowered herself to the floor before him.

"What happened?"

Harry explained what Shanti had just told him. Arthur came out with James and found Molly crying and Harry looking red and tear-stained. Molly told him what the Healer had said. They told Harry they'd tell the family and give him some time alone.

There was a collective gasp as they relayed the news to the others, who then went on to have separate conversations, all incredibly worried.

Harry without Ginny was something that no one could or would imagine. It was unbearable.

Ron handed Rose to Hermione and left to find Harry. He walked until he came to the nursery and sat down beside his only brother-in-law.

"I came so close to losing her. I can still!" Harry looked up at Ron with tears streaming down his cheeks. "How am I supposed to raise two boys by myself?"

Ron gathered Harry in a hug, not noticing Hermione enter the room until her arms were wrapped around the both of them. "Ginny is too stubborn to let go – she'll be fine, Harry," she assured him once they parted.

"I don't know how I'm going to tell her."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a puzzled glance. "Tell her what, mate?"

"That she can't have more children. I know she wanted at least one more."

Ron and Hermione sat with Harry until visiting hours in the nursery were over. The three friends walked back to the waiting room together, and Harry sat down in the seat next to James. He watched his son sleep curled up in his chair, blissfully unaware of how close he had come to losing his mother.

"Harry."

The room full of Weasleys and Potters turned to the door, where Shanti was waiting. Harry felt his stomach knot up and what little color had returned to his face was quickly lost once more.

He turned to Molly, his voice cracking as he said, "Mum." That was all it took for Molly to follow Harry and Shanti out the door.

Shanti led them to an empty room and closed the door.

"The surgery was a success."

Harry literally deflated as Molly collapsed in the chair behind her and burst into tears.

"She's being moved back to her room as we speak. Harry, I assume you're staying with her?"

Harry nodded his head, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. Once he found his voice he said, "Thanks, Shanti. How long will she be here?"

"If she does well and seems to have no problems, she can go home at the end of the week. We'll keep Albus for that long as well, given his…dramatic entrance."

Harry nodded and turned to Molly, who had calmed herself enough to speak. "Don't worry about Jamie, dear. Arthur and I can keep him."

"You can see her in an hour," Shanti said. "I'll be here to answer any questions or concerns you may have."

Harry nodded and hugged her. "You saved her life, thank you" he squeaked. Shanti returned the hug and led Harry and Molly back to the waiting room.

Just outside the door, Molly stopped and gathered Harry in one of her bone-crushing hugs, which Harry returned.

"Thank you, Mum, I don't know what I'd do without you."

They entered the waiting room, and all conversation stopped.

"She's okay. The surgery went well, she's been moved to her room and we can see her in an hour."

The family collectively sighed in relief. Ron got up and engulfed Harry in a hug. "Don't worry about work, mate, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks, Ron." Harry followed Ron to his seat and stopped at Arthur, who handed him a still-sleeping James. Harry held his oldest son for the hour they were waiting to see Ginny. Some of the family went on home. When Shanti came to tell them that they could see Ginny, all that remained were Arthur, Molly, Harry, James and Ron, who had sent Hermione home with Rose to get some sleep. He didn't want to leave Harry until he knew Ginny was really okay.

Arthur and Molly stayed long enough to see Ginny and took James home with them. Ron quickly followed.

Harry settled himself in the chair beside Ginny. He looked over to his left and found the cot set up. He yawned and decided to get some sleep. Ignoring his growling stomach, he settled down and was asleep in an instant, letting the exhaustion of the day's events overtake him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny awoke to find herself in a hospital room, the events of last night flooding back to her.

"I see you're awake."

Ginny looked up and found Shanti standing in the doorway.

"I wanted to check and see how you were doing this morning."

"What time is it?" Ginny asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Six-thirty. Do you remember what happened?"

At a shake of Ginny's head, Shanti pulled up a chair and explained everything. Her patient was quiet, taking in all Shanti had told her before asking after Harry. Shanti pointed to the cot, where the young father lay fast asleep with his glasses crooked on his nose. Ginny could tell from his still-puffy eyes that he'd been crying. She knew that one of his biggest fears in life was losing her.

"I'm going to make rounds. I'll see you later. You can shower, walk around, and go see Albus. Eat something, too. I know Molly will be here with breakfast before too long. Now, the only instructions I have for you are to take it easy, take care of yourself, and no lifting anything heavy, including James."

"Thanks you, Shanti." Ginny looked over at Harry as Shanti left the room. "Harry."

His emerald-green eyes, red from crying, blinked open. "Gin," he muttered, rubbing one eye and sitting up before reality hit. He shot off the cot and gently gathered his wife in his arms. "That was the scariest eight hours of my life. I thought I lost you!"

"Shanti told me everything," Ginny said. "If I don't have a uterus, that means I can't have another baby?"

Harry's nod brought the reality flooding in. Ginny let the tears fall from her eyes as he gathered her in his arms again.

"Shanti said that we have options. Exactly what they are, she didn't say. But we can discuss that when Albus is older."

Ginny nodded and allowed her husband to cuddle her. The moment was broken quickly, however, as Harry's stomach rumbled loudly. He winced at the hunger pain in his stomach.

"You haven't eaten since when?" Ginny asked dryly.

Harry took a moment to recall, and when he did, his stomach gave another angry, painful growl.

"Yesterday at breakfast." He pressed a hand to his angry stomach, trying to calm it. Luckily Molly showed up five minutes later with breakfast for the both of them. Ginny spent the rest of the day resting, showering, and going with Harry to visit Albus.

They fell into this pattern for the next ten days. Harry was given time off to take care of the Ginny and the boys.

Ginny went back to work when Albus was six months old. She loved being a mother, but she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if she could have another baby, specifically a girl. Seeing Harry with his nieces, particularly Rose and Victoire, she knew he would love to have a daughter, but she knew it just wasn't in the cards for them. Unless…

She brought the subject up one night after Albus's first birthday.

"I'm ready to talk to Shanti about our options for another child."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked as he slid into bed.

"Positive. I want to try for a daughter."

"Okay, let me know when and I'll go with you."

Ginny fell asleep that night dreaming of having a little girl. She just didn't know how she was going to get there.


	2. The Suggestion

A Long Nine Months Chapter 2- The Suggestion

Sitting at her desk in the _Daily Prophet _office, Ginny was working on her article for her series on tips from a professional Quidditch player. This article was discussing tips on how to get ready for games, mainly the recommended pre-game warm ups. She had figured out how to share hers without being so blunt. All she would say when the girls on the team would ask was "If the walls in the locker room would talk" and that was it. But of course, everyone knew her pre-game warm up included a snog or two or three from Harry.

She loved her job as the senior Quidditch correspondent. Since she had taken the job a few months after retiring, she had started to branch out in her writing. In the off season for Quidditch, she would write about being a Quidditch star before she retired. And occasionally, she would write about the family, taking Teddy to a Quidditch match and soon will be writing about taking James to his first Quidditch match. Everyone loved her articles and Harry read over them before they were published.

Her most popular series to date was her _'A Day in the Life of the Queen of Quidditch'. _In that series, she wrote about her day to day life as a Quidditch star and wife. The main question she had gotten was how she balanced her work life and home life. She smiled as she replied "it helps to have a supportive husband."

Harry was supportive of her career as a Quidditch player. At one point, he had joked that she was going to cause him to have gray hair and he had even told his wife once after a minor injury Ginny had sustained, "You just took ten years off my life!"

Ginny's thought was broken at the sound of her coworker and friend, Raven's voice.

"Ginny, are you going to the Puddlemere United game this weekend?"

It had taken a moment for Ginny to respond, "Yes, I'm going. I decided that we'll take James and Teddy. This is going to be James's first Quidditch match. I was just going to take Harry with me, but he talked me into taking the boys. Albus is staying with my mother."

"How old is Albus?" Raven asked.

"He'll be two in the fall."

Grace, another of the girls who worked with Ginny came in and sat down at her desk. She greeted her coworkers as she passed.

"Not to be nosy," Grace began. "But have you and Harry figured out what you're going to do about having another baby?"

"We've talked about it and I'm going to make an appointment with the healer to discuss my options to have another baby."

The girls nodded and got back to work as Eleanor, the editor, entered the room. She was looking at the time sheet for that day and approached Ginny's desk.

"Ginny, have you taken your lunch break?" she inquired.

"Not yet."

"Go ahead and take it. I'll see you in an hour."

Ginny nodded and collected her purse and headed out the door. She glanced at the clock and seen that it was one in the afternoon. Knowing her husband, like she did, she knew he would work through his lunch break.

"I think I'll go and collect something for lunch and then head to the ministry."

"Tell Harry we said hello," Raven said, with a laugh.

"I will." Ginny left the office and headed down the alley to the Leaky Cauldron. She asked Hannah to reserve a table in the back and put in her and Harry's lunch order, but telling her to wait until she came back with Harry.

She then disapparated to an alley near the visitor's entrance to the Ministry. Entering the phone booth, she dialed the number.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please State your name and your purpose of visit."

"Ginny Potter, kidnapping Harry Potter," Ginny stated.

She knew that Harry sometimes worked his way through lunch and would come home, starving and could easily beat Ron in an eating contest. She once commented that she could hear his stomach growling before he entered the kitchen.

"Thank you. The Ministry of Magic wishes you a very good day."

Ginny rode down in the booth and waited until the doors opened.

She walked to the lifts, waving at some of the people she knew. She passed one of Harry's colleagues who waved.

"Ginny," Kingsley greeted as Ginny approached the Minister of Magic. He started to chuckle when he caught a glimpse of the badge Ginny was wearing.

"I'm going to drag him out of the office for lunch. He needs to get out of the office and breathe some." Ginny said defensively.

"Take it easy on him, Lassie," Kingsley said, and headed off to the floos.

Ginny walked to the lifts and seen her brother and sister in law.

"Hello Ginny," Hermione greeted. "Would like to join Ron and me for lunch?"

"Thanks for the offer, Hermione, but I'm actually going to kidnap Harry and we're going to the Leaky for lunch."

"He just came in his office when I left, Ginny," Ron informed his sister.

Ron knew Harry's work ethic. He didn't complain. When Harry was promoted to Head Auror, a month after Albus was born, Ron was chosen to be the Deputy Head Auror. He loved his job, because like Harry, the missions they had to go on where hardly none.

Ginny pressed two and rode the lift up to level two. She walked the familiar path to the Auror department, waving to some of the Aurors who waved to her. She greeted Maisy, Harry's secretary.

"Hello Maisy. Is Harry around?"

"Oh, hello Ginny. He's in his office."

"Thanks Maisy"

Ginny walked passed Maisy's desk and approached the door to Harry's office. She peeked in and saw the stacks of papers. She smiled when she saw the picture of her and the boys Harry kept on his desk.

Ginny cleared her throat, causing Harry to jump.

"Ginny! This is a surprise!" Harry was wracking his brain, trying to remember if Ginny said anything about her meeting him for lunch.

"I'm taking you to lunch, I'm giving you ten seconds to get your butt out of that chair and out the door or I will hex you."

Not wanting to be hexed by his wife, Harry jumped out of the chair and followed Ginny to the lifts. He vaguely heard chuckles from the Aurors in the cubicles nearby.

Once they reached the floo, Ginny told him they were going to lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. They headed straight to the table that Hannah had saved them and waited for the former Hufflepuff to take their order.

Hannah approached the table. "Wait, don't tell me. Harry will have the chicken and chips meal with a Butterbeer and Ginny will have the fish and chips meal."

Ginny shared a stunned look with Harry.

"Are we that predicable?"Ginny asked.

"Yes." Hannah looked between Harry and Ginny. "Well?"

"You've guessed it, but I want an iced tea to drink today instead of water," Ginny added.

"I'll have your order ready in a little bit."

Once Hannah left, Ginny asked Harry how his day was. They made small talk while waiting on their food, only pausing when Hannah brought them their drinks and Ginny asked how their son, Little Frank and Neville were doing.

Harry made a mental note to owl Neville sometime.

When their food was brought and they began to dig into their lunch, Ginny decided that now was a good time as any to bring up what she had been thinking about to Harry.

"What would you say if I decided I want to discuss our options for having another baby with Shanti?"

If Harry was surprised, he didn't show it.

"I know we wanted to wait until Albus was older," Ginny added. "He's going to be two this year and it might take a while to find someone to carry a baby and maybe even for them to get pregnant. For those reasons, I want to get started soon."

"I could understand your reasons for wanting to start the process now," Harry stated. He popped a chip in his mouth.

Ginny thought for a second, she knew that it wasn't common in the Muggle world, but could be a possibility in the wizarding world. She had heard of men being able to get pregnant with the help of a procedure.

But would Harry be willing?

"Harry, I have something to ask you."

"What is it, Gin?"

"Would be willing to be the one to carry our child?" she asked quietly.

Harry thought for a second. He knew it was possible and he had seen some pregnant men at Shanti's office when he went with Ginny to her appointments. Then he thought of himself carrying a baby. Like with Ginny's pregnancy with James, Harry imagined himself holding a small little bundle wrapped in a pink blanket.

Not needing to think about it more, Harry nodded.

"Yes, I would, Ginny. I would be willing to carry our child."

Ginny smiled and leaned over to kiss her husband. "Thank you," she whispered. All she needed to do now was to call Shanti and make an appointment.

How little did they know that their life was about to take a change that Harry didn't see coming?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny sat in the waiting room of Shanti's office. She looked at the clock on the wall and the door to the waiting room.

"Come on, Harry. Get here already," she muttered.

She looked up when she heard the door open and found a woman who looked to be Molly's age walk in and hold the door open for a woman for her own age. After she checked in, she sat down next to the older woman and they started chatting happily over nursery décor. She must be finding out the gender today.

She heard the door open again and looked up, expecting Harry. A man and women entered. The woman was about eight months pregnant. The couple sat down in the seats across from Ginny. It was hard for Ginny to sit there and watch the young couple because she knew that she would never get to carry another baby.

The door opened again, and this time it was Harry. He scanned the room and then met eyes with Ginny and walked towards her, sitting down in the chair beside her. He kissed her cheek.

"Sorry I'm late. Kingsley came to my office just as I was leaving and wanted an update on the new recruits. I left Ron in charge and ran to the office floo before anyone else could stop me." The floos that were directly connected to St. Mungo's and to be used for emergencies only. Ginny looked at Harry with an uplifted eyebrow.

"It's good to be Head Auror," Harry said in response.

The medi-witch called Ginny's name and lead Harry and Ginny to Shanti's office. Shanti looked up when the door to her office opened and Harry and Ginny entered.

"Hello Ginny, Harry. How are you?"

"I'm good," Ginny answered.

"I'm a little tired, but I'm okay."

Shanti brought Ginny's file to the front and looked thought it. She then looked up at Harry and Ginny.

"It's my understanding we're here to discuss the options for having another baby."

"Correct," Ginny replied. "We also have an idea."

"Oh." Shanti leaned over, wanting to hear this. "What is it?"

"Well, we've heard about an implanting procedure where you insert and uterus into a male and they carry the baby."

Shanti nodded and turned to Harry. "Is this something you're interested in?"

"Yes, Ginny and I discussed it and we've decided that this is how we want to add another child to our family."

Shanti smiled at Harry and Ginny. Of the Potter/Weasley bunch, they were her easy patients.

"Okay, well, I'm glad you came to this decision. Ginny, you still have your ovaries, you should have eggs." She turned to Harry, "And we'll need to collect sperm from you. The egg would from Ginny will be fertilized and then inserted into the sack, and then that night, you two can do your thing and we'll take it from there. I can always insert as many eggs as we need."

"How is the implanting procedure done?" Ginny asked.

"The uterus, which is more like a sack, will be implanted into your abdomen, but hovering it over your lower abdomen and then it will be vanished directly into the area it was hovering over.

Then I'll inject the fertilized egg. Once that's done, I'll check your abdomen and see if the sack is where it needs to be and if it's not I'll manipulate it where I need it to. Your abdomen will be numb during the whole procedure and all you would feel is some pressure."

Shanti paused for a second to ask "Any questions?"

"No," Ginny said, while Harry shook his head.

"Okay, I'll need clearance from your healer saying you are healthy for this procedure. Once I have that, we'll schedule the procedure."

Ginny nodded, her mind spinning. She looked at her husband. "Are you sure about this?"

Harry looked at Ginny and nodded, "When I married you I promised myself I would try to give you anything you wished for. You want another baby, I'll give you another baby."

Ginny was speechless. She then smiled and leaned over, kissing her husband. She whispered a "Thank you" when they broke apart.

When they left the office an hour later, Harry asked, "Should we tell the family?"

"Sure, let's start with Mum and Dad."

"I'll think after your parents, I'll tell Ron. Because when I do get pregnant, I can transfer some of my responsibilities over to him."

"Good idea." She leaned over and kissed her husband, noticing that Harry had a look of anxiety on his face.

"It will be okay, sweetie. You'll see." Ginny smiled, thinking of what a wonderful husband she had.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You are absolutely mental, Mate. Absolutely mental," Ron stated. Harry had just told him his and Ginny's plan for adding another baby to their family.

Harry leaned back in his chair, thankful he had placed a silencing charm on his office. "I know it sounds mental, Ron. But Ginny can't have a baby and this is a way we can have another baby."

Ron sat down in the chair across from Harry. "Do you know how long a pregnancy is? Nine months. Morning sickness, cravings, mood swings. Mate, you have mood swings without the added fact of pregnancy."

Harry looked at Kingsley, who had been silent since Harry told them the news. Harry had invited him to this meeting so he can be in the loop.

"Does Hermione know this? Has Ginny told her?"

Harry let out a breath. "She will when she gets to the Burrow."

_Meanwhile, at the Burrow…_

"Let me get this straight," Molly began. "Harry is going to undergo a procedure and after which he could get pregnant and carry a baby."

"Yes," Ginny said. She had just told her mother and sister in law what they had decided on regarding growing their family.

"I have to say, I admire Harry for choosing to do that for you," Hermione started. She had been quiet up to this point.

"I think what surprised me the most was how open to the idea, Harry was. He even volunteered to do it, surprised me," Ginny stated, picking up her tea cup.

"So what happens now?" Hermione inquired.

"I made an appointment for Harry to go to see Holly. Shanti wants clearance from her before we move forward. Then she'll perform a procedure to implant, what would be the uterus, so to speak, in Harry's abdomen. Then she would inject the fertilized egg. Then we wait."

"He's positive, he wants to do this?" Molly asked.

"Yes, he's positive."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry perched on the edge of the table in the examination room of Holly Jackson's office. She was the Potter family healer, and had been since James was born. It had been a week since the appointment with Shanti and today was Harry's appointment to get clearance to undergo the procedure.

The room was cool, but thankfully Harry wasn't forced to wear the god-awful green gown he had been forced to wear during many physicals with Healer Chorley, one of the healer who took care of all of the Aurors as they come through St. Mungo's and the healer Harry was assigned to.

Like with the ministry matron and her staff, Ginny was on a first name basis with most of the staff in Healer Chorley's office and Healer Chorley addressed Ginny as Ginny and not Mrs. Potter.

There was a knock on the door and Holly entered the room.

"Hello Harry. So you're here for medical clearance for an implanting procedure to become pregnant." Holly looked up at Harry, her heel clacking on the floor. "Have you gone mental Harry?" she asked. 

"No, I'm not," Harry replied, sounding like he was serious. Holly knew why Harry was doing this, having seen Ginny not long after Albus was born. Her heart went out to Ginny and she had to say, she admired Harry for choosing to do this for this wife.

"Alright, let's get started." Without needing to be told, Harry laid back on the table.

Holly's examination began with an examination of Harry's heart and lungs. She moved along with the exam only pausing to announce what she was doing next. As she went, she told her finding to a Quick Quotes Quill. Harry eyed it, untrustingly. Holly finished her examination with the abdominal exam, pressing and palpating Harry's belly.

"Okay, everything looks great, I'll write up the report and send it to Shanti."

Harry left Holly's office, heading home to tell Ginny that everything was fine and he was cleared to undergo the procedure. He just wondered if he was making the right decision. But the thought of making Ginny happy and the possibility of getting a daughter, made Harry decide that he made the right decision.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny brushed her teeth in her master bathroom, enjoying the peace and quiet. The boys were in bed and it was just her and Harry. It was this reason why she loved this time of the day, when it was just her and Harry, in their own little world.

Tomorrow was implantation day, the day when the sack will be implanted into Harry the process of having another child will began. Ginny could tell as the day wore on that Harry appeared to be more and more nervous about the events taking place the next day. She hadn't had a chance to talk to him about, being busy with the boys.

She spit out the foam and rinsed her mouth before pulling her hair up in a ponytail. Why she did so, she didn't know. Because at some point in the night, Harry would take it down.

Walking out of the bathroom, she found Harry lying on their bed, his shirt pulled up thus revealing his stomach. His left hand was behind his hand while his right was on his belly, almost rubbing it flat.

Ginny laid down beside him, placing her hand over his that was now resting on his belly.

"Is there a monster or something in your stomach that's going to jump out or something?" she asked. Harry shook his head.

"Just trying to remember what my stomach looks like before it becomes big and fat."

Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry's cheek. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" She asked.

Harry took a deep breath before turning to his wife. "Is it bad to say that I'm scared? I know I agreed to this, but I can't help but think what if something goes wrong?"

Ginny moved her hand to stroke Harry's abdomen. "I know it's scary, baby. But it will be fine. You'll be okay."

Harry was silent for a minute or two before he nodded, agreeing with his wife. "Okay, but I'm still feeling nervous about the whole thing."

Ginny wrapped her arm around his waist, pulling him closer to her. He snuggled into her embrace.

"I will be right beside you through the whole thing. I promise." She reached with her hand and ran her fingers across the muscles in his abdomen.

"Enjoy that while you cane, because sometime after tomorrow, my flat and muscular stomach could be gone."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was early the next morning when Harry and Ginny left the house that morning. The sun was rising as they pulled out of the driveway. They had to be at St. Mungo's by eight in the morning. The procedure would last about an hour, which included observation. Ginny drove them to London, neither one of them talking.

When they reach Shanti's office just before eight, Ginny checked Hay in and went to sit down beside her husband. She immediately began rubbing his back in soothing circles like she before he was called as witness in all of the Death Eater trials.

Shanti had given Harry a special soup to use when he showered that morning to wash his abdomen with. Because the procedure had a side effect of nausea, Shanti recommended that Harry didn't eat anything that morning.

Ginny kept rubbing his back, knowing Harry wasn't in the mood to talk. He was off in his own little world. This wasn't an easy decision and Harry had decided to do this make Ginny happy. Ginny just hoped that this would accomplish what they hoped it would. Give them the daughter they were wanting.

"Harry Potter," called the welcome witch. Harry and Ginny stood up and followed the welcome witch into the room where the procedure would be taking place.

Shanti came in the room, not a moment later.

"Good morning, how are we?" she asked, sitting down on a rolling stool.

"Nervous, "Ginny replied, looking at her husband, who suddenly looked a lot paler.

"I'll go slow and explain what I'm going to do before I do it. Need me to stop I'll stop," Shanti stated.

Harry swallowed and then nodded his head. "I'm ready," he said.

Shanti handed him a gown and told him to change into it. She stepped out to allow Harry to change. Quickly, Harry changed into the green gown and sat down on the bed, covering his lower half with the sheet Shanti had left.

A minute passed before Shanti returned with a box. "Okay, in this box is the sack that will act as a uterus to house your baby and that I would be implanting today. Any questions before we get started?" she asked.

Harry and Ginny both said no and Shanti gave them a quick review on how the procedure was going to go.

Listening to the healer explain, Harry felt scared. He instantly thought about how much is this going to hurt.

"Lie back for me Harry and we'll get started. "

Harry laid back on the bed as Ginny grabbed his right hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Shanti readjusted the sheet to cover Harry from the waist down. She then pulled up the gown, exposing Harry's belly.

"Okay, I'm going to insert the sack now. You might feel some pressure and a burning sensation, but it should subside once I got the sack through all the muscles. "Take a deep breath for me Harry, it will relax your belly for me to implant this a little easier."

Harry focused on a discolored ceiling tile, trying to get his mind off of what was going on. He felt pressure when the sack went through the skin and muscles of his abdomen. It burned slightly, but not as much as he had expected.

"Okay, now for part two."

With a syringe looking machine, Shanti positioned it to hover over Harry's abdomen. "Now I'm implanting the fertilized egg. You should feel some pressure and little pinch when I insert the needle.

Harry nodded, his eyes glued to the ceiling. He felt Ginny squeeze his hand and rub his arm.

He hissed a little when he felt the pinch and in what seemed like in a blink of an eye. It was all over.

Shanti pressed on Harry's abdomen lightly to check and see if the sack was in place correctly. It was.

"Everything feels good. You may sit up now."

Ginny helped Harry sit up, slowly. She winced when she saw Harry grimace at the sudden pain in his stomach.

"I'm going to recommend that you rest for the rest of the day and tonight, you take the potion and we'll let nature take its course. May take four to six weeks to take effect, meaning we'll find out if this worked. You can take a pain potion if needed, though, try to take one. If the pain gets worse, contact me or come in."

Turning to Ginny, she added, "Ginny, some of patients who have undergone the same thing Harry just did, told me that a light abdominal massage helped relax the muscles and ease the pain. Need me, call me."

"Thanks, Shanti."

After Harry was changed back into his clothes, he and Ginny headed back out to the car park where Ginny had parked and drove home to Godric's Hollow.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry spent the day on the couch, in the family room, resting and relaxing. He watched some TV, sorted through the paperwork he had in his messenger bag and had even sent Ginny to the Ministry and to his office for the paperwork he had on his desk. He wasn't one to just sit somewhere and do nothing. He had to be sick to do that.

He slept the afternoon away, having not slept much the night before due to nerves about the procedure.

Ginny ordered pizza from the place in the village where they frequented when they didn't have the energy to cook or needed something quicker than a cooked meal. They enjoyed their rare adult time and had a real adult conversation with meal in which they didn't have to wipe faces and no reminders of using table manners. They also enjoyed watching a movie that was very adult with not a cartoon or kids character in sight.

Molly and Arthur had the boys for the night and Ginny would pick them up in the morning after Harry left for work.

Deciding to go to bed, Ginny helped Harry up the stairs to their bedroom and into their bathroom. They showered together for the first time since before Albus was born.

After they finished their shower, dried off, and got dressed, Ginny led Harry to bed, and helped him to lie down. Shanti had recommended not using anything when massaging Harry's stomach, just the skin to skin contact will be enough. She pulled up Harry's shirt and began to massage Harry's abdomen in slow soothing circles. Sometime later, she noticed that how relaxed Harry had come. Shanti had also warned her that Harry's stomach might feel bumpy over where she implanted the sack.

After Ginny finished the massage, Harry sat up long enough to take the potion. He swallowed it and then pulled his wife closer to him.

"Here's to hoping this works."


	3. Congratulations You're Pregnant

A Long Nine Month-Congratulations, You're Pregnant

Two months had passed since Harry had undergone the implanting procedure. He and Ginny wasn't expecting anything to happen too soon. Shanti had mentioned that during the first appointment when they were discussing the procedure, it could take time. They would just have to wait, patiently.

Once again, Ginny was sitting at her desk in the _Prophet_ office. She was working on her next article for the Sports page. With two children at home, Ginny often came into the office to work, leaving the boys with Molly or Harry took them to work with him. Even with the boys gone, Ginny still couldn't work as housework distracted her.

She had received great reviews on her articles about the last Quidditch game she covered. Because of her love for writing, she often wrote about other topics. She would even write about general happenings in the Wizarding World, with the most recent being a story covering the grand opening of the second George's Joke Shop. Writing about her life was a second topic she often wrote about. She talked about the challenges of being a wife and Quidditch star, being a wife of an Auror and her experience of being a professional Quidditch player.

She glanced to the wall where she had hung a picture of her and the Harpies in uniform with her own picture beside it. They were both taken before Ginny's last season with the Harpies.

Also on the wall was framed articles she had written. Her most favorite one was in the middle.

_**My Husband The Head Auror**_

She had written the article in which covering the ceremony in which Harry was promoted to Head Auror. She included the challenges and trials of being an Auror's wife, which was echoed by fellow wives of Aurors. As she had mentioned the bad, she mentioned the good. Towards the end of the article, she wrote about the hard work Harry had put into the Auror office and the Ministry as a whole. She mentioned how proud she was of Harry's accomplishments and included the short speech she had written for the swearing in ceremony. The wife often had a chance to speak at the ceremony and Ginny was the first Auror wife to do so since before Gawain Robards.

Ginny included the two pictures that were taken by the Auror Department sign at the entrance and by Harry's new office. The one taken by the sign that said _Head Auror: Harry J. Potter _was just Harry by himself, while the other included Ginny.

Eleanor commented her on the article, calling it a job well done and commented how nice the picture was. Ginny had a copy of the picture of Harry by the Head Auror office in a frame on her desk, as well as the one with her. In the picture of both her and Harry, she would occasionally lean over and kiss Harry's cheek.

There was a small mention in Ginny's article that with Harry being promoted to Head Auror, there was an Auror being promoted to Deputy Head Auror. There was no one better deserving of that than Ron. After Harry's swearing in, Ron's took place. It was at Harry's request that they do them separate to let Ron have a moment that was all about him. That was the second time Molly watched Ron swearing in the Auror office, with tears of pride streaming down her face.

The article she was working on was about the adventures of taking your children to their first Quidditch match and offering tips to parents who are considering bringing their children to a match.

Ginny looked up from her article and caught a glimpse of one of the pictures she had on her desk. She kept pictures of her boys, including Harry, on her work desk. Her favorite picture was of Harry, James, Albus, and Teddy. The picture was taken one weekend when Teddy was staying with the Potters. She had lined them up a on a step in the middle of the stairs. Albus wouldn't stay, so Harry scooped him up and moved in between James and Teddy, placing Albus on his lap.

"Ginny?"

At the sound of her name, Ginny looked up and seen that Raven was who had spoken to her.

"I love the article. The pictures are so cute."

Ginny beamed with pride. "Thanks."

Grace finished the article, handing it back to Ginny. "You took James and Teddy to a Quidditch match?" she inquired. "That must have been fun."

"Yes, it was," Ginny agreed. "Teddy wanted to go when the Harpies played, so we decided to bring James and leave Albus with Mum and Dad. We had a good time. We stopped at a burger place after the match. Harry and the boys pigged out. Ice cream was included in the meal."

Raven chuckled, knowing how wild James could be without the assistance of sugar. "How bad was the sugar high?"

"I wouldn't know," Ginny said, getting up and heading to the supply room and returned with some parchment. "I went to bed and Harry stayed with them. All I know is when I came back downstairs the next morning with Albus, James was on one couch, Teddy was in one of the chairs and Harry was on the floor."

"Poor Harry," Raven chuckled.

Ginny sat down at her desk, turned to face her friends. "The only thing 'Poor Harry' did was sweet talk me into a back rub that night when we to bed."

Raven shook her head, while Grace looked on.

"I don't understand," she said.

"Grace," Raven began. "When you get married and have children, you'll see what we're talking about." Suddenly she turned to Ginny. "Has the implanting procedure been successful yet?"

"Not yet," Ginny replied. "It will take time."

"I have to say Harry is a brave man to undergo all of this just to bring a child into the world," Grace commented.

"He said that he would do anything to make me happy. And we're hoping that we get a girl," Ginny explained.

Raven reached over and took Ginny's hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I hope for his sake you get a girl. How's he doing?"

"He's doing alright." Ginny chuckled at what had transpired the night before. "I came out of the bathroom last night and Harry had one of the throw pillows stuffed under his shirt."

Raven chuckled. She could picture it in her mind which made her laugh all the more.

"He asked me if I would still him when he got big as a house. He even lays in the bed, looking at his stomach almost as if there is something in there that is wanting out."

Raven roared with laughter, this time joined by Grace. The imagines that this information was creating were too much for them.

"Be patient," Raven said once she calmed down. "It will happen." 

How little did Ginny know that it was going to happen a lot sooner than she or Harry could ever imagine.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Flaming Dragon was a Chinese restaurant that opened in Diagon Alley after the war. It was one of the popular places for lunch and many ministry workers were seen there on their lunch break or they picked up takeaway at the end of the work.

The Flaming Dragon was a favorite among Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. So much so that Ron and Harry would sometimes come here for lunch instead of going to the joke shop for something different.

Harry and Ron were sitting in a booth in the corner of the restaurant, looking over the menu. It had been a while since the implantation procedure, and Harry and Ron hadn't had a chance to talk.

"So, no luck yet?" Ron asked, sipping his water.

Harry shook his head. "Hopefully I don't have to have another injection."

At Ron's puzzled expression, Harry explained the injection procedure. Luckily, Harry only had it done that one time. For Ron's sake, Harry left out the final part of the procedure.

"Ouch," Ron winced, sympathetically. "You're braver than me." He knew that Harry really loved his sister, if he was doing this. Since Harry told him what he was doing, Ron had realized that the reason why Harry was doing this was to give Ginny the daughter they hoped this baby would be.

Ron also knew that Harry would do anything to make Ginny happy.

"So, what are we having for lunch?" Harry inquired, looking over the menu

"The usual," Ron replied. They ordered sweet and sour chicken with noodles for Harry and rice for Ron with an order of egg rolls.

"Alright," Harry agreed. "Hermione told you about the egg rolls. I think her and Ginny had them when they were here last."

"They did."

Unlike when the girls had lunch together, there wasn't much talk, only about Quidditch scores. It was a silent agreement that family was off topics and wanted to focus on more manly topics.

The waitress brought their order and lunched continued uneventfully. Harry and Ron split an order of egg rolls, deciding to that by splitting them, they would only have to two, one for each of them.

The sweet and sour sauce was spicy to Harry, who tried to let out the fire on his tongue by taking a long drink of water.

"Is it just me or is the sauce a little spicy?" Harry asked, under the jest of passing one the fortune cookies.

Ron shrugged, figuring Harry must have gotten one with the spicy sauce.

When the bill came, Harry took it before Ron could grab it. A short argument broke out until Ron gave in, knowing they would be there all day if he just agreed to let Harry pay the bill. He could get it next time.

Once the bill was paid, they left the restaurant, deciding to use the Tube to get back to the ministry and just go in the London entrance to the ministry.

But what neither of them knew was what the next day was going to bring.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry woke up the next morning, stomach in turmoil. He didn't have a chance to figure out why before he bolted to the bathroom and began to vomit. Cursing Ron sounded really good right now.

"_Darn you, Ron. You're lucky you're not here right now. I'd hex you so bad that you'll never know what hit you," _Harry thought to himself.

Hacking a little, Harry reached up and flushed the toilet, leaning his head against the wall. Did he have food poisoning? He had food poisoning before, definitely. He knew that it could come on as soon as an hour later. Or at least that was how it was one time in his sixth year. He never ever wanted to repeat that again. The only bright side of it was Ginny staying with him, rubbing his back and keeping him company in the dorm.

"Let's get the egg rolls, he said," Harry muttered, darkly. "They're good, he said." He paused when he felt his stomach protest of what he had fed it the day before. He leaned forward and heaved again, this time, bringing up more stomach acid with the remainder of his stomach contents.

Harry was surprised with all the noise he was making he hadn't woken up Ginny.

"Harry?"

He must have woken her up with the last round.

"Are you okay?" Ginny stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "Are you sick?" she asked.

"No," Harry moaned, holding his stomach. "I'm going to kill your brother."

Ginny felt sorry for Harry, no one should feel this way. She kneeled behind him and started to rub his back in slow soothing circles. This was an act she had done many times when he was sick.

Making a decision, Ginny got up from the floor. She leaned over to where her husband's head was laying on the toilet seat and whispered "Harry, I need to floo Mum and see if she can take the boys and then call Kingsley and tell him you're not coming into work today."

It was a testament to how bad Harry felt because he replied, "Okay." Usually he put up a fight, one that he never won.

"Will you be okay with me gone for a few minutes?" she asked.

"Yeah," Harry groaned, feeling his stomach churn.

Ginny left the ensuite and head out of the master bedroom and down the stairs to the sitting room. There was only one fireplace in the house that was connected to the floo and it was the one in the sitting room. Harry said it was more for a security reason, which was why Ginny didn't use the fireplace upstairs in her and Harry's bed.

Picking up floo powder she called out "the Burrow "and soon she was looking at her mother's clean kitchen. It wouldn't stay clean for long with her boys.

"Mum?" she called.

Molly rushed into the kitchen, a duster in her hand, dressed in her cleaning clothes and an old apron that Ginny had given her a long ago Mother's day. The flower pattern was faded and the straps and tie both been sewed back more than one. Molly only wore this apron to clean in. Ginny had brought her a new one a few years ago and she cooked in it.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" Molly asked, suddenly frantic.

"Harry's sick," Ginny explained, trying to keep her mother from being hysterical. "I need you to take the boys if you can."

Molly smiled, happy to spend the day with her grandchild. She never said no to her children when they needed someone to watch their kids. Any chance to spend time with her grandbabies, she took it. Cleaning could wait another day and magic could take care of what needed to be done now.

"Of course, I can. Bring them on over. I'll whip up something for them to eat if they hadn't had breakfast."

Ginny sighed in relief, but then again, when did Molly tell her she couldn't watch the kids.

"Thanks Mum, I'll bring them over right after I firecall Kingsley."

"You're welcome, Ginny. I hope Harry feels better soon. I'll send you some ginger tea later today."

"Thanks again Mum, I'll see you in a little bit."

Disconnecting from her parent's floo, Ginny pulled her head out and glanced up the clock. Kingsley would be in the office right now as it was pushing nine in the morning.

She picked up another handful of floo powder and called out Kingsley's office floo as her destination.

Kingsley had looked up when the image cleared and before he had a chance to say anything, Ginny explained, "Kingsley, Harry's sick. He won't be in to work today."

"Alright, Ginny, thanks for telling me. Tell Harry I hope he's feeling better soon."

"Thanks, Kingsley." Ginny disconnected the floo and then headed upstairs to check on Harry. He was still in the bathroom when she returned, sitting in front of the toilet. She had heard it flush a few times while she was downstairs.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Her response was a mumble. The only parts she understood was Ron and kill you.

"Alright, I'm going to take the boys to Mum and Dad's. I'll be back."

Ginny headed to Albus's room first as his room was the closest. She scooped him up and quickly changed his nappy and out of his pajamas and into play clothes. To Ginny's amusement, Albus slept through the whole thing. She carried him to James's room, passing the room that was Teddy's when he stayed.

She woke up James after sitting Albus down on the end of the bed.

James, fortunately, was potty trained and Ginny planned to work with Albus. Hermione had mentioned to catch a window of opportunity when Albus would show an interest in using the potty. Ginny wasn't going to let that slip through her fingers.

After helping James in the bathroom and quickly changing his clothes, she took the boys downstairs to the floo.

"You are going to spend the day with Grandmum," she told them.

"Why?" James asked. Everything followed with a why.

"Because Daddy doesn't feel good and Mummy is going to take care of him."

"Why?"

Ginny sighed. "Because Daddy has tummy ache."

"Why?"

"Uncle Ron."

To Ginny's relief, James stopped. She directed James to grab on to her leg and picked up floo powder. Soon they were tumbling out of the floo in the Burrow.

"Grandmum!" James exclaimed seeing Molly. He shot himself into Molly's awaiting arms.

Albus woke up, due to the noise, and launch himself into Arthur's arms.

"Thanks for taking the boys, Mum."

"You're welcome, dear," Molly said, turning towards the kitchen. She summoned a vacuum flask with ginger tea and handed it to Ginny.

"Thanks for the tea. I'll come and get the boys when Harry's feeling better that today."

Ginny looked around the Burrow, noticing it was quiet.

"Have you talked to Hermione or Ron today?" Ginny suddenly asked.

"I talked to Ron this morning. He seemed fine. Why?" Molly inquired.

Ginny explained what she figured was wrong with Harry. "No, he didn't seem sick. I would know if he was," Molly stated.

"Alright." She said bye to the boys and told them to behave and flooed back home to Harry.

She took the tea to the kitchen, setting it on the stove. It wasn't until she glanced at the calendar that she remembered what Shanti said.

"_May take four to six weeks to take effect"_

Ginny gasped, and quickly ran upstairs. She burst into the bedroom, noticing Harry had moved back bed. He jumped at her sudden appearance.

"Harry, I think I know why you're sick."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat on an exam table, waiting for Shanti to come back with the results of a pregnancy test. He sat with a bucket beside him as he was still feeling nauseous. Ginny watched her husband from the chair beside the exam table, as he fought off any feeling of nausea

"Gin, if this is morning sickness," Harry paused for second when he felt something come up his throat. When the feeling went away, he said, "I apologize if I wasn't sympathetic enough."

Ginny stood up, walking over to stand beside her husband. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and Harry leaned his head against her shoulder. Hopefully it wouldn't be much longer to get the results.

She had immediately firecalled Shanti's office and Shanti told Ginny to bring Harry in, now. She collected her husband, quickly helping him change into something besides pajamas and slip on his socks and trainers. She forgone his hair and summoned her purse before heading down to the floo. Upon arrival, they were immediately taken back to an exam room.

Shanti was waiting for them and no sooner than the door, the closed, she began asking Harry what his symptoms were. She handed him a cup and directed him to the restroom down the hall. After that, they followed a mediwitch to the blood lab, where she drew blood from the crook of his elbow.

Now they were waiting for the results, somewhat patiently.

Shanti knocked on the door before entering. She was smiling, which gave away the news. Harry and Ginny smiled brightly, knowing what was coming next.

"The implanting procedure worked! Congratulations, you're pregnant."

Shanti went to explain that Harry would need to take potions every day to ensure the health of the baby. Since this was considered a male pregnancy, the potion was necessary. One missed dosage could end tragically. Once that was out of the way, Shanti went on to explain what Harry could expect over the next month. When she finished, she asked Harry and Ginny if they had any questions.

"When does morning sickness end?" Harry asked. This was no surprise to Shanti. This was the first question her patients asked, or one of.

"It can last as long as six to twelve weeks," Shanti explained.

Harry sighed. It was going to be a long six to twelve weeks.

"Harry, lie back on the table," Shanti directed. "I'll check and see how things are going in there before you leave."

Harry laid back on the table, pulling his shirt. Shanti pointed her wand at Harry's bare stomach and a projection appeared above his abdomen. In the middle of the projection was a little pink figure. Ginny took Harry's hand in hers

"There's the baby," Shanti said, pointing to the pink figure.

The couple looked at the projection, smiling happily. Shanti managed to get a picture from the projection for Ginny to have, then she waved her wand over Harry's belly and a piece of parchment appeared. Apparently, it was some information about the baby.

"You are six weeks along. The baby is due late July to early August," she read from the parchment. She sat the parchment down and turned back to Harry. "Alright, I'm going to press around on your belly. Tell me if you feel any pressure."

"I will," Harry murmured, feel Ginny squeeze his hand.

Shanti started lightly palpating and pressing, focusing on Harry's lower abdomen, the area where the baby was located inside Harry.

Harry could feel Shanti's hand lightly press on his abdomen. Then Shanti got a measuring tape and measured low long the baby was.

Then suddenly reality hit, it was real. There was really a baby in there. He was going to carry a baby.

Harry thought to himself "_This_ _just got real, there's really a baby in there_".

After poking and pressing on Harry's stomach, Shanti allowed Harry to sit up. Ginny helped him pull down his shirt.

"Alright, everything looks good." Shanti made some notes in Harry's file. When she finished, she turned to Harry. "Now, I'm going to tell you to take care of yourself. Don't stress too much and try to avoid teaching the trainees if you can, otherwise place a strong shield around yourself and absolutely no missions. We can't risk a spell hitting your belly and killing the baby."

Harry nodded, knowing that Shanti was right. He knew most of this from Ginny's pregnancies.

"Alright, I will talk to Kingsley and Ron when I return to work," Harry decided.

"Okay. No Quidditch, but you can still fly, just no fancy tricks. I want to come see me if something doesn't feel right. Tell Ginny if you're not feeling well and floo me if you have any questions regarding potions. Most have a pregnancy safe version." She paused for second, thinking. "If the boys haven't already, if they dragon pox, you'll need to find somewhere else to stay for a week until they are no longer contagious. If it's James, who gets it and Albus doesn't show any symptoms, take Albus with you. I know he should be caught up with his peers by now, but this is just to be on the safe side."

Harry glanced at Ginny, who was listening tentatively. The roles were reversed now.

"Owl or floo me if you need me." Shanti opened the door. "Make an appointment with the welcome witch for two weeks from now. Congratulations, I hope everything works out."

"Thank you," Ginny said. She and Harry were alone for a moment to soak in all what had transpired over the last forty five minutes.

Ginny smiled, placing her hand on Harry's stomach. Harry's own hand joined her own, covering her hand.

"We're having a baby. There's a baby in there." Ginny's eyes made Harry's. They both were happy, so happy they had goofy smiles on their faces.

"Yes, we are."

Ginny helped Harry down from the table and they left the exam room, heading to the checkout to make their next appointment. Once they were done, they flooed home.

"So what's next?" Harry asked, when they sat down on the couch. Ginny was going to wait until later before collecting the boys from the Burrow.

"We tell the family."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

That night, Harry woke up that night, stomach rolling. He slowly turned over on his side, facing Ginny.

"Morning sickness is what some liar called it," he muttered.

Harry felt his stomach lurch one more time, and this time, he bolted from the bed and into the bathroom. He made it in front of the toilet before he started to hurl into the toilet, heaving what little he ate that day reappear.

He felt soft hands on his back, rubbing in soothing circles.

"I don't think I can take this," Harry groaned, after he caught his breath and feeling his stomach roiling. Ginny didn't say a word, but got up and walked over to the medicine cabinet.

When she came home, she made sure Harry was fine before she left to go to the grocery store. They were running out of nappies and wipes and they were getting desperately low on milk. While she was out, Ginny went to Diagon Alley and got pregnancy safe stomach soothers that Shanti recommended when she was pregnant with James, if she needed a potion. She brought enough to last them for the month.

She reached for the stomach soother and wordlessly, handed it to Harry.

"Here, take this. It will help settle your stomach enough that you might be able to go back to sleep."

Harry took the stomach soother, swallowing it and then taking the water that Ginny had offered him. Once he was sure that he wasn't going to start vomiting again, he allowed Ginny to help him back to bed.

Once back in bed and lying down, Ginny reached over Harry's waist and rubbed his stomach in the very familiar circles. She knew that it would relax him enough to fall asleep. Soon, Harry's breathing even out and Harry was asleep.

He slept for two hours, until he was woken again, this time it was a nature call. He got up and headed to the bathroom, relieving himself. He had just returned to bed when he felt his stomach lurch once more and Harry raced quickly to the bathroom.

Ginny woke up to the sounds of Harry vomiting. She quickly got up and headed into the bathroom where she found Harry leaning against the toilet, looking spent

"Do you want another stomach soother?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded. Ginny got another potion and uncorked handing it to her husband

"Is this going to happen every night? Am I going to be sick the entire time?" Harry asked, taking the potion from his wife.

Ginny handed a cup of water. He switched with Ginny taking the cup of water and handing her the empty vial.

"For your sake, I hope not," Ginny whispered, but Harry heard her. She sat down beside her husband, rubbing Harry's back as they sat there on the tile floor of their master bathroom, waiting for another round of nausea before they returned to bed.

Finally, the stomach soother took effect and Harry's stomach was calmer. Harry let Ginny lead him back to bed, he was feeling really tired by this point.

Harry laid on his back, with Ginny curled against his side. He felt her hand snake under his T-shirt, and then began to rub soothing circles on his stomach.

"Thanks Gin" Harry's sleepily reply.

"You're welcome." Ginny leaned up and kissed Harry on the cheek. Luckily, he slept great for the rest of the night until morning came.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny arrived at the _Daily Prophet_ office to work on her article the following morning. Harry stayed home again, the morning sickness too much for him to go to work. Plus, they wanted to tell the family first before anyone else. She took the boys to the Burrow to give Harry some peace and then flooed back home to check on Harry before heading to work. Harry was already parked on the couch in the family room, watching some television show.

She left him instructions to call her if he needed her and left for the newspaper office. She mostly worked from home more than she did in the office, but working in the office had the advantage of getting more work done and adult conversations.

"Good morning Ginny," Eleanor greeted. She was sitting in what was called the conversation circle. It was where most of the not so private interviews were done and somewhere the employees, sat around and talked other than the employee lounge and break room. Raven and Grace were sitting in the chairs across from Eleanor. This was also where the four women had their morning meetings.

"Good morning, how is everyone?"

Conversation flowed for a while until Ginny decided to tell her co-workers her news.

"I got some news I would like to share," Ginny said, getting the women's attention. She smiled before she shared, "the procedure was a success. Harry's pregnant!"

There was a slight pause before they all jumped up and hugged Ginny.

"Congratulations!" The three said in unison, causing them to chuckle.

"That is good news," Raven commented.

"I'm glad it worked for you," Grace said as she and Ginny hugged.

Ginny nodded, the smile never leaving her face. "I am too."

"How's Harry?" Eleanor asked.

"Sick. Morning sickness has arrived."

The girls who had been pregnant all winced sympathetically.

"How bad is it?" Eleanor asked.

"It's been pretty bad. It was actually how, I figured how he was pregnant," Ginny stated. She then launched into the story of what had transpired the day before and finding out that Harry was pregnant was the cause of Harry's illness. Picking up her purse, she reached inside and pulled out the picture Shanti made for her yesterday.

The women all cooed at the image. "Aw."

"Then I went to the store when we got home and I picked up some pregnancy safe stomach soothers for Harry. As we know morning sickness is what some lair called it and Harry woke up me a few times last night, sick. He only managed to eat some at dinner, only for it to come back up hours later."

"So, when are you telling your family?"

"Sunday, they know what we were doing. I know Mum will be thrilled, but the others, we'll see how they take this."


	4. Telling the Family

A Long Nine Months Chapter 4-Telling the Family

Every Sunday since the end of the war, the Weasleys gathered at the Burrow for Sunday dinner. Attendance was mandatory. Those who missed Sunday dinner were subjected to the wrath of one Mrs. Molly Weasley. It was during these Sunday dinners that announcements were made – engagements, pregnancies, job promotions, the whole nine yards.

Ginny sat on her bed in the bedroom she shared with Harry, thinking of how she was going to tell her family. Granted, they knew of Harry and Ginny's plan of implanting something similar to a uterus into Harry in the hopes of pregnancy.

But there was also the matter of explaining to her sons. She had explained to James that there was a baby in Mummy's tummy and when he or she came out, he would have a new brother or sister. This new baby would probably confuse James, especially when Harry would get to the point where he would be showing more and James would definitely notice that Daddy's tummy had gotten bigger.

A noise from the bathroom interrupted her thoughts. Unlike Ginny, who had a period of nausea in the mornings and would have to avoid certain foods, Harry was sick almost all the time. He couldn't eat much, in fear that once it hit his stomach, it would come right back up.

Ginny opened the door to the bathroom and found Harry sitting in front of the toilet.

"I take it you don't want eggs and bacon for breakfast?" Ginny asked.

At thought of eggs, Harry leaned over the toilet and threw up. Ginny handed him the stomach soother as she knelt down beside him.

"What about porridge?" Ginny asked. Harry winkled his nose up at that. When Ginny was pregnant with James and Albus, porridge was Ginny's choice of breakfast. She ate so much of it over the two nine month periods that Harry was completely burned out on porridge.

"Plain toast is fine" Harry replied to the question. Ginny didn't want to argue with Harry, especially when the mood swings were just beginning.

Harry came home on Friday in a fool mood because the trainee instructor quit after only a month, stating that "the work was too much". One of the missions that was in the works for months turned up empty and to make matters worse, Harry had to run to the bathroom during the morning briefing because someone was sharing the details of a gruesome crime scene.

Ron took over to allow Harry to collect himself.

That was another group of people that needed to be told – the coworkers. Harry had informed Kingsley about the pregnancy, and much to his surprise, Kingsley was just as supportive as when Harry told him about the implanting procedure. However, the Auror staff was another story. They knew that Ginny couldn't have another baby and would be surprised that Harry would step in and carry a baby for nine months.

Ginny left the bathroom and headed downstairs to fix herself and the boys some breakfast. James and Albus were already awake and waiting in the family room. James looked around Ginny when she arrived, in search of his father.

"Where's Daddy?" he asked.

Ginny started fixing porridge in a pot for James and Albus. She reached in a cabinet and pulled out cocoa powder to make chocolate porridge.

"Daddy doesn't feel good, he'll be down in a little bit" Ginny didn't want to tell the boys without Harry since they had told James about Albus together.

"Daddy sick?" Albus asked. For a two-year-old who had had a dramatic birth, he turned out fine. Albus was as happy and healthy a toddler as Rose.

"Daddy just has a wobbly tummy" she eyed James suspiciously, hoping he wasn't smart enough to put two and two together. A "wobbly tummy" was how they explained Ginny's morning sickness to James when she was pregnant with Albus.

The sound of stairs creaking brought Ginny's attention to the doorway leading from the hall to the kitchen. Harry appeared a few seconds later, looking a little better, but not quite one hundred percent yet.

"You okay?" she asked. Harry nodded his head. James and Albus sat in the seats as their dad passed them and greeted them as cheerily as he could.

Ginny fixed a bowel of porridge for Albus and then James. At the sight of the porridge, Harry felt his stomach churn and ran for the downstairs bathroom.

Ginny sat the bowls of porridge in front of Albus and then James, poured them a cup of orange juice, placing it near their bowls and made her way to the downstairs bathroom, bottle of water in hand. She knocked on the door and heard Harry moan an "I'm fine Gin." She opened the door and handed Harry the bottle of water.

Harry took the bottle and rinsed his mouth out before taking a drink.

"I think we should tell the boys" Ginny said as she handed Harry a washcloth.

"Tell the boys what?" Harry asked, wiping his face off with the washcloth Ginny had given him.

Ginny knelt down beside Harry and placed her hand on Harry's still flat stomach.

"About having another baby" Ginny said, rubbing Harry's back in between his shoulder blades.

Harry closed his eyes, allowing Ginny's back rub to relax him, and laid his head down on his arm that was resting on the toilet seat.

"Okay, we'll start with the boys." Harry allowed Ginny to help him up and they exited the bathroom together. Ginny returned to her place at the stove and started fixing Harry some dry toast and a bagel with jam for herself.

She set Harry's toast and juice in front of him before she took her place on the other side of the table. "Boys, Daddy and I have something to tell you." She looked at Harry as he gauged the boys' reactions.

"What is it, Mummy?" James asked, jam all over his face.

"Well…" Ginny looked at Harry. "Daddy and I are going to have another baby".

They let the news sank in before they continued.

"There's something else that you should know," Ginny added.

Harry grew paler and paler.

"Mummy can't carry a baby in her tummy, so instead Daddy will carry the baby for Mummy in his tummy."

James and Albus as one turned their heads to their father.

"There's baby in Daddy's tummy?"

"Yes sweetheart." Ginny leaned over and kissed the top of James's head. "There is."

"So in a few months you'll have a baby brother or sister," Harry added.

"Daddy?" James looked at Harry with a puzzled look "How did baby get in your tummy?"

Harry looked at Ginny with a look that said, "Help me!"

"You know how we explained to you that there's a spell that a Mummy and Daddy do when they want to have a baby?"

At James's nod, Ginny continued.

"Well, the spell doesn't work on Mummy anymore so we tried it on Daddy and it worked. So in nine months you'll have a baby brother or sister".

Harry's stomach plummeted when he heard "nine months." He looked down at his flat stomach, trying and trying to memorize what it looked like.

"Any questions?" Ginny asked her sons, figuring one of them – being as young as they were – would have a question. Luckily for her the boys didn't have any.

"Okay, come on. We've got to get ready for Grandmum and Granddad's." Ginny picked up Albus and sat him on her hip, before grabbing James's arm and leading them both upstairs.

Harry sat back at the kitchen table. He knew Molly would be thrilled about having another grandchild, but when they found out that Harry was the one carrying the baby, would they think he'd gone mental?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Flooing was never something that Harry had mastered. Since his first experience with it, he'd get the location right, but he would come tumbling out of the Floo roughly and had broken the Weasley record for the amount of times he'd fallen on his behind. He was the reason Molly placed an armchair a few feet away from the Floo, so that he could catch himself before falling on his face.

Flooing while pregnant may have been the transportation method of choice, but it could also cause nausea to come back full-force.

Harry allowed Ginny to go first with Albus and he would follow with James. Ginny was waiting when Harry stepped out of the floo to take James, because when Harry got his footing back, he felt his stomach lurch.

Slapping a hand over his mouth, he ran upstairs to the bathroom. As Deputy Auror, Ron was the only other member of the family who knew of the pregnancy. He had just finished changing Rose's nappy when Harry nearly collided into him charging up the stairs and into the bathroom.

Hermione met Ron halfway up the stairs and took Rose from him. He backtracked to the bathroom, concerned.

Harry just came out when he returned.

"You okay?" Ron asked.

"You've covered for me this past week as I puked my guts out, I think you know the answer to that," Harry replied.

"Telling the family?" Ron asked.

"We need to before my stomach gets fat."

Harry and Ron went downstairs as the rest of the family gathered in the living room.

"Lunch is ready!" Molly called from the kitchen.

Ginny sat down next to Harry with Albus on her left, James on the other side of Harry.

Bill passed Ginny a platter of shepherd's pie. She was about to take some for herself when a noise from Harry stopped her. She looked at her husband who looked at her desperately, trying not to throw up. Ginny looked around the table and reached for chicken casserole. She picked it up with an uplifted eyebrow and Harry nodded, now able to breathe without the feeling of bile rising in his throat.

She handed him the bowl of potatoes and only took out a little bit.

Molly silently observed the interaction and Harry picking at the little food on his plate. When he shook his head to the lamb chops that Hermione passed him, he quickly handed it off to Ginny. Molly had had enough.

"Harry, are you okay?"

This called attention to Harry from everyone. He looked at Ginny with a look that said "Help!"

"We have some news" Ginny said with a smile. Molly caught on, remembering the smile on Ginny's face with she announced her pregnancy with the boys.

"It was successful?"

"What was?" Charlie asked. The rest of the family was also wondering the same thing, except for Ron.

"Well…" Ginny began. "We discussed our options for having a baby and we decided to go the surrogate route."

"Who's the surrogate?" Hermione asked, bouncing Rose on her knee.

Harry took a deep breath. "Me".

Everyone but Molly, Ginny, Arthur and Ron stared at Harry with their eyes wide as saucers. Harry took another deep breath.

"I'm pregnant".

It was so quiet that you could hear a pen drop. Then like a bomb going off, everyone started shouting out their congratulations and Molly hugged both Harry and Ginny.

After lunch, Ginny and Harry explain the whole process to the family.

"So, everyone knows," Ginny said with a sigh of relief.

"Does Kingsley know?" Arthur asked.

"I told him about the procedure because I would've been out for a few days and I wanted to tell him so it wouldn't be a shock later."

"What about James and Albus?" Molly asked.

"Told them this morning" Ginny explained.

When the men left the women in the sitting room, they all turned to Ginny.

"How has it been?" Audrey asked.

"He's been pretty sick – not to tempt fate, but I think today's lunch is the first meal Harry has kept down."

Hermione smiled with sympathy. She had had horrible morning sickness with Rose.

"He said to me, twice now that he and I quote 'sorry I wasn't sympatric enough.'"

The ladies laughed, knowing how caring and kind Harry was during her pregnancies with James and Albus.

"I feel sorry for Ron," Hermione said. "A pregnant Harry! We all know his temper; it will be a lot worse now."

Ginny nodded. "I remember what I was like to Harry carrying Al and Jamie. I have a feeling I might be getting some payback."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny placed her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Harry was sitting on their bed, trying with all his might button a pair of pants.

Ginny had gone out and brought Harry some shirts and pants in the next two sizes, hoping it would fit the growing baby bump.

"I'm not even showing yet and I can't even get a pair of pants buttoned.

Ginny smiled with sympathy, tossing the pants that were the next size up on the bed next to Harry.

"You may not be showing yet, but your belly is getting bigger."

Harry shot off the bed. "Are you telling me that I'm already getting fat?"

Ginny pulled up his shirt, baring his small bulging stomach, and turned his head to the mirror.

"You tell me," she said, backing away and looking at his reflection in the mirror.

Harry couldn't believe it – only two months pregnant and already getting fat!

"Okay, I give up, I'm changing."

Ginny left to make the boys breakfast and Harry some toast. The morning sickness was easing off and Harry was starting to get back to eating normal meals.

James and Albus were adjusting to Harry being pregnant; they only so far asked the question about how the baby got in daddy's tummy and how was it getting out.

Ginny told the boys there were some rules they needed to follow. There was no jumping, walking or sitting on daddy's tummy. She explained that they could hurt the baby and that they didn't want that. James understood completely, but Albus could still be found laying on Harry's stomach when he laid on the couch. Albus would lay his little head on Harry's small bulge and try to talk to the baby.

Ginny lifted Albus into his seat and helped James scoot in to the table. She went to stove and started to scramble eggs and make some sausage. Harry was approaching the three-month mark and the morning sickness would soon be a distant memory.

That was when Ginny remembered the first appointment with Shanti was scheduled for that afternoon.

Harry appeared five minutes later dressed for work. "Morning boys," he greeted.

"Morning Daddy," the boys said in unison.

"Harry, I just remembered we have that appointment with Shanti this afternoon," Ginny said as she brought Harry's plate over to the table.

"What time?" Harry asked, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

"Two." Ginny sat down to her own breakfast.

After getting the boys off to Molly, Ginny Flooed with Harry to the Ministry. Word had gotten out that Harry and Ginny were expecting another baby and that Harry was carrying the baby. Luckily the media hadn't heard about it yet, but the Ministry was a different story. Surprisingly, everyone was supportive of their decision, but what concerned Harry the most was how his colleagues were going to take the news. They'd been thinking that it was just a rumor and it wasn't true.

Harry entered the conference room in the Auror Headquarters, Ron already standing in his place at the podium.

"Morning everyone," Harry began, taking over for his brother-in-law. "I know you all have heard the news about Ginny and I having another baby and that I'm pregnant with the baby. Well, I'm here to tell you all that the rumors were true. I'm pregnant."

Harry let the news sank in and then like a bomb going off, the room exploded into applause and cheering. When the room quieted down, Harry continued.

"Ron will be acting as temporary Head Auror until I'm able to return to the field. I will be based in the office for the reminder of my pregnancy due to safety concerns for myself and our unborn child. Any questions?"

When no one said anything, Harry dismissed them and they returned to their own duties.

Ginny leaned over and said, "Remember, we have that appointment at two this afternoon."

"I won't forget."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat perched on the exam table in Shanti's office. He was waiting on Ginny.

"Come on Ginevra, I managed to get here on time" Harry scooted back a little on the table the ruffling of the paper on the table and the green gown Harry was now wearing. He swing his feet out in front and grimaced at the matching scrub pants the nurse handed him. He also noticed that there was a hole in his sock – any bigger and his toe would peek through.

The door opened and Ginny came in. "Sorry I'm…" She took a good look at her husband. "…late. What's with the pants?"

"Said something about modesty or something. This is considered the first appointment so here I am," Harry said, gesturing to the gown.

A knock sounded at the door and Shanti entered.

"Hello, how are you?" She shut the door and laid Harry's file on the table

"I'm good. A little tired, but good," Ginny replied

"How are we doing?" Shanti asked Harry.

"Morning sickness has been terrible; I swear who ever called it that is a liar. I'm tired, too, but other than that, I'm okay."

"Good. You'll feel a little tired in the early months, but when you reach the second trimester the morning sickness should be a thing of the past."

Shanti went on to explain what Harry could expect in the next few weeks. She explained what would happen with the baby and him. She recommended what to eat and what not to eat, then went on to explain stretch marks and recommend a cream that would at least make them less noticeable.

"Any questions?" she asked when she finished. Harry and Ginny glanced at each other, shrugged, and shook their heads.

"Okay." Shanti proceeded to check Harry's blood pressure. "Excellent, excellent," she muttered as she removed the cuff from Harry's arm. "Blood pressure's normal, weight's 150, temperature's 98.6," she recited to a Quick-Quotes Quill once she was done with the vitals. Harry involuntarily shivered at the sight of it.

"Lay back on the table and let's see what's going on with the little one."

Harry laid down the table as Shanti pulled the gown up and the pants down, thus exposing Harry's abdomen to the room. She started pressing on his lower stomach, trying to find the sack. She found it a few inches above Harry's belly button.

"Let me know if it's too much pressure, Harry." Shanti pressed on where the sack was, feeling it under her fingers.

With a flick of her wand the measuring tape was measuring the length of the baby. She found the head with one hand and the feet with the other.

"Not bad for three months." Shanti flicked her wand again and the baby's heartbeat resonated throughout the room.

"Nice strong heartbeat." Shanti cancelled the spell and wrote down a few more notes before letting Harry sit up.

"We're going across the hall, now. Up you get."

Harry and Ginny followed Shanti to the room across the hall to a room marked "Ultrasound." Harry knew from Ginny's experience that it wasn't too bad – it was actually quite nice to see the baby on the screen – but he was nervous regardless. He sat on the table, scooting back and laying down on the table to allow Shanti to pull up the gown again and squirt a gel onto his small baby bump. She then picked up her wand and placed it on Harry's stomach. Moving the wand around, Shanti looked for the sack and the fetus inside.

"There we are." Shanti kept her wand steady, doing some measurements and looking over the image to see if everything was fine with the baby.

Ginny smiled at the screen, happy to see the baby's growth and how well it was doing. Harry was usually in her spot, looking at the screen with Ginny on the bed. Now the roles were reversed and he now had a taste of the wonder and joy of bearing a baby.

Shanti also brought up the baby's heartbeat again and was able to get some pictures of the baby.

"Well…" Shanti removed the wand and handed Ginny some paper towels to clean the gel off Harry's stomach. "Everything looks good, Harry. It looks like you're doing everything right. I'll see you both in a month to discuss about what to expect in the second trimester. Have any questions or problems, owl me. Make an appointment with the Welcome Witch when you're dressed."

"Thank you, Shanti." Ginny wiped off the gel on Harry's stomach. "You'll have to make sure you wash your belly off good and well when you shower tonight." She helped him sit up and they went across the hall, where Harry changed back into his clothes and they went home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"It got real today," Harry said that night, once the boys were asleep and he and Ginny were relaxing in bed.

"What got real, this?" Ginny asked, motioning to his belly.

"Yeah, there's a baby in here," Harry replied, placing a hand on his small bump.

Ginny placed her hand next to it. "Soon you'll be feeling the baby move."

"Now _that's_ going to be weird," Harry said with a laugh.

Ginny chuckled and lightly rubbed Harry's stomach, smiling when she thought of her little girl growing inside Harry's belly. She may not have known what the baby was, but deep down, she knew it was her little girl.


	5. Cravings, Mood Swings and Baby Kicks

Ron sat at the table in the Auror's lunch room trying not to throw up. He'd seen his-sister-in-laws' cravings during the lunches at the Burrow and had to fight to keep his lunch down. He and Harry both nearly threw up when Ginny combined ketchup and salad cream on a burger at a cook out that Hermione's parents hosted to celebrate Ron and Hermione's new home. The worst was his own wife; Hermione dipped sour cream and onion crisps into vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and pickles.

Now he sat in the lunch room watching his brother-in-law eat his lunch which was shepherd's pie, which he was now able to stomach, topped with pickled relish and salad cream with carrots on the side. Harry absentmindedly ate his lunch as he read over the reports from the last mission that one of the teams went on.

Harry reached for another report and caught Ron's face. "What?" Harry asked with a puzzled expression.

"Nothing," Ron returned to his own stack, munching on the sandwich Hermione made him that morning.

It may have only been noon, but Ron felt like it was a long day. The training session with the new recruits lasted longer than he thought. The mission that was scheduled to end next week wasn't going as planned. Ron would need to go out and check on it next week. He didn't mind helping Harry out during his pregnancy, but he had a new found respect for his brother-in-law.

_No wonder Harry falls asleep on the couch after Sunday lunch,_ Ron thought to himself. It was nothing for Harry to fall asleep on the couch when they went to the living room. He would often be found curled up on one side of the couch allowing Ginny to sit beside them.

He had also survived Harry's morning mood swings. To say Harry took the news well was as white a lie as one could get. Despite the fact it was noon, everyone, including new recruits and sectaries had been told off at least once that morning. Ron tried to warn Jackson that Harry had already lost his temper over the news that the mission wasn't successful. It would make the third time in six months that the same mission failed and Harry was determined that this one would be successful.

An hour later, Harry would apologize for yelling at them. The women who had children sympathized with the mood swings, while everyone else wondered how much longer Harry would be working.

Ron was glad that morning sickness was now gone, although the nausea would return for a short period of time. He also wouldn't be surprised once Harry could easily out-eat him.

Harry flicked his wand and the stack of papers was banished to his desk.

"You know how I said that the stuff Ginny ate when she was pregnant made me sick?" Harry said to Ron.

"Yeah," Ron answered "Now you eat it."

"Yeah," Harry replied sheepily.

"I forgot to ask what the first appointment was like?" Ron asked.

Harry went into to describe the appointment from the scrub pants to the ultrasound.

"The ultrasound was actually kind of odd. I've watched Ginny's but I never knew what it felt like. Well, it actually not as bad as I thought it would be. Ginny helped wiped the gel off and told me when I showered that night to be sure I washed my stomach off well and good. I understood why because it itched like crazy."

Ron listened to his brother in law recount the entire appointment and he had to ask the one question that was burning his mind.

"Scrub pants? Why?"

"They said that there would be no needed for the stir ups and handed me the pants, for modesty purposes."

Ron shook his head "Ginny probably wished his had a camera for that."

"She's already taken pictures, she plans on doing one every month to document how big I'm getting."

Before Ron asked, Harry said "I asked her to take one even when my stomach was still flat, that way when the baby's born I'll have a way to remember how flat my stomach was."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Ginny, it's precious!" Raven commented on the ultrasound picture. Grace was looking at it over Raven's shoulder.

"How far along is he?" Grace asked.

"About twelve weeks, we found out when he was about six weeks along." Ginny passed the picture to Eleanor.

"How's he doing?" she asked.

"Morning sickness is better and he's eating a little better and able to keep it down. The cravings are just as bad as mine were. Last night he combined apple tarts with peanut butter drizzled with chocolate sauce." Ginny snortled.

"Ew," the others deadpanned.

"I know. I actually understood how Harry felt when I was pregnant."

"Interesting, isn't it?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes it is. I walked in on the first appointment to find Harry, of course in the lovely green gown and pants to match. They said something about wanting to protect modesty. I guess they didn't need to see anything from the waist down."

Eleanor leaned over. "How have you all kept this out of the _Prophet_?"

"I don't know, I think it's because Harry's threatened more than once to sue for privacy violations."

"Oh." Eleanor was surprised to learn this. Harry usually wasn't the type to threaten others, but now that she thought about it the press would be an obvious exception. _Even though _we're_ the press… Remind me not to get on _his_ bad side._

"What about the extra articles you write about? A lot of them are on your relationship with Harry and the boys."

"Harry doesn't mind that because what I say is the truth."

"Didn't he arrest Rita Skeeter a long time ago?"

"She was in violation of her parole and the Aurors issues an arrest for her. Harry just so happen to be the one who caught her."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, didn't she say that he and your sister in law were dating?"

Ginny thought for a moment and then remembered.

"That was a long time ago when Harry had to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. She wrote lies about him then. He was fourteen and she said twelve."

"As an Auror, I wonder if Harry has a favorite capture," Raven pondered.

"Dolores Umbridge."

Eleanor, Raven and Grace looked at Ginny.

"After the Carrows, she was his next person to capture."

"Was she the one who caused the scars on his hand?" Grace asked.

Ginny nodded. "She got additional time in Azkaban for that on top of the whole Muggle-Born thing."

Ginny finished up her work and bid the girls farewell, smiling to herself as she remembered the reasons why she was proud of the hard work Harry did to ensure that their kids and their nieces and nephews could have a future and they themselves could as well.

These thoughts filled her as she Flooed to the Harpies' Quidditch pitch to interview one of her former teammates.

She knew that she would be coming home late.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny Apparated in front of her house in Godric's Hollow some hours later. The car was parked in the driveway, the outside lights in the back and the front were on and the only light on in the house was the living room.

She quietly opened the door and snuck into the living room, finding Harry asleep on the couch. He looked freshly-showered and cute in his pajamas, complete with one of the T-shirts she bought got him that would be big enough to hide the bump with his old pajama pants.

Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek, which unfortunately woke him up.

"Hey," he muttered sleepily.

"Hey yourself. How long have you been asleep?" Ginny asked as Harry turned to lay on his back. She lifted his feet up and sat down, placing his feet in her lap.

"About two hours, came down here after I got the boys to bed. Ordered pizza, there's some leftover if you're hungry," Harry said though a yawn.

Ginny shook her head "No thanks, the girls and I went out to eat."

Harry rested his right hand over the bulge of his stomach. Ginny started rubbing his feet as they talked about their day.

When Ginny was pregnant with James and Albus, Harry would rub her feet and back. Now Ginny was returning the gesture.

Eventually she noticed that Harry was starting to fall asleep. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

Harry walked in front of Ginny as they went upstairs. Ginny went in the bathroom for a quick shower before going to bed. When she emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, she saw Harry was fast asleep on his side facing her side.

She walked around the bed quietly and burrowed under the blankets.

"Good night, Harry," she said, leaning over and kissing his head.

"G'night," came Harry's sleepy reply.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Monday morning brought a new week and for those in the Auror training program, it meant fitness training. The other Aurors who were enrolled in mandatory physical training were forced to join them.

Yonas Mensah, the fitness trainer, had been the drill sergeant since before Harry and Ron were trainees. Harry still had nightmares about the guy and his deafening whistle of doom. Once or twice he'd been tempted to stick the whistle where the sun don't shine, never voicing this urge as Yonas would've in turn assigned them additional sit-ups, pushups or laps.

As a fully fledged Auror and now Head Auror (not to mention _pregnant_), Harry wasn't required to take the fitness exercise group sessions. Instead he was free to use the gym anytime during working hours or as early as six o'clock.

Given that Harry wasn't cleared for physical exercise by Shanti, he sit in the corner of the room and watched as Yonas proceeded with his torture. Harry remembered going home sore after a training session with Yonas, which was now an exercise session, and barely to sweet-talk Ginny into a full rub down.

Harry always claimed that Ginny had magical fingers that would work out any knots he had in his back and shoulders and took away any cramps in his stomach.

"So, when do I get the pleasure of working with you again?" Yonas asked Harry as he packed up his stuff.

"After the baby's born," Harry replied. Shanti had cleared him only for yoga and walking.

"I look forward to it," Yonas said as he left the training room.

"I don't," Harry muttered as he climbed off the stack of mats he had been sitting on. He walked back to the office where he was greeted by Kingsley and Ron.

"Session over?" Ron asked. He had taken over the Auror training sessions until Harry could find someone for the job. Yonas was a good Auror in his day, but he was a better fitness instructor. Harry couldn't spear the good Aurors because he needed him for cases. Kingsley approved for Harry's idea to look into the other ministries and see if there was an Auror willing to train the new recruits and willing to move to England.

"Yeah, just ended," Harry said as he lowered himself into a chair. His now noticeable budge made him look like he was growing a belly. Luckily for Harry, his stomach was the only part of his body getting fat.

"We need to talk," Kingsley said in a tone Harry recognized from a few years ago when the Aurors had too many failed missions and Kingsley intervened with Harry as team leader.

Harry turned to Ron. "The mission failed again, didn't it?"

Ron just nodded and had to place his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing at how Harry was getting out of the chair.

Harry swung his office door open and bellowed "JACKSON, SAMUELS, PETERS, CONFERENCE ROOM NOW AND BRING YOUR TEAM WITH YOU."

Ron and Kingsley looked at each other. Harry was at the end of his third month, heading into his fourth. Ron remembered Ginny's mood swings and compared to Harry, Ginny was a little calmer, despite the fact that of the two of them, Ginny's temper was worse.

They could hear Harry chewing the team out in the conference room. Muggle-baiting was on the rise and Harry was trying to get the bottom of it but wasn't having any luck. Cases like these went on for years and not months.

"It's going to be a long day," Ron sighed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry stumbled out of the Floo, smelling dinner from the kitchen. He entered the kitchen and found Ginny fixing plates.

"What's this?" Harry asked.

Ginny looked at him with a smile. "You see, Harry, there's this meal we have in the evening. It's called dinner. I know it's been a while since you've seen a dinner, but this is what it looks like."

She set the plate down at the table. "Hungry?"

Harry's stomach answered for him with a loud rumble. He went to his office and dumped his bag in the armchair he placed in the corner, then went in the downstairs bathroom where he washed his hands. Returning to the kitchen, Ginny had fixed glasses of water for herself and Harry.

It had been a long week. Since Monday's chew-out session, Harry had noticed the Aurors were working overtime to figure out the Muggle baiting case. He would have stayed, but then Ginny would have shown up and dragged him home by the ear.

"Where are the boys?" Harry asked. He then felt two pairs of hands wrap around his legs and heard laughter.

"Okay boys, dinner," Ginny said as they placed Albus in his high chair. Ginny shared the progress they were making with potty training Albus. James was fully potty-trained, much to the relief of his parents.

"I got an owl from Shanti; our next appointment is scheduled for next week," Ginny informed him as they cleaned up the kitchen once dinner was over.

Harry went to the living room to relax after a long day at work. He laid down on the couch, resting his tired body. He pushed up his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting off an oncoming headache. Shanti had lectured him on keeping his stress level down during the pregnancy. He was almost asleep when he felt Albus climb on the couch and crawl up on Harry.

Albus raised Harry's shirt and started talking to the baby in his stomach. Shanti had encouraged Harry and Ginny to talk to the baby, like they had during Ginny's pregnancies. James came in the living room and started talking to the baby as well. Ginny came in the living room some time later and found James and Albus chatting jubilantly with their daddy's belly.

Ginny smiled at the scene before her and quietly left the room.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny stood beside the floo, waiting on Harry to come through. She didn't have to wait long because the fireplace roared and Harry came out. Ginny grabbed him before he could fall.

Last week at lunch, Ron and Hermione announced they were expecting baby number two. Because of their struggle to get pregnant with Rose, they waited until Hermione was past twelve weeks before they announced she was pregnant.

Ginny went in the living room where the family was gathered and talking, Molly was in the kitchen, cooking.

"Well, it looks like Harry and Hermione will be having their babies a week or so apart," Audrey said to the room at large.

"That's something I was wondering," Hermione said. "How is Harry going to deliver your baby?"

Harry answered before Ginny could. "Same way Albus was born, only it'll be me they'll be slicing open."

Ginny shook her head. "Must you say it like that?"

"What's wrong with how I said it?" Harry asked.

"Never mind." Ginny didn't want to cause Harry another mood swing.

Molly called them for lunch and everyone went into the dining room.

Hermione and Harry compared pregnancy symptoms and cravings.

"I now have to deal with a pregnant wife at home and a pregnant boss at work. I can't escape, can I?" Ron said out loud.

If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead that instant.

When lunch was over the men all retreated to the living room and the women remained in the kitchen.

"Second pregnancy is not as bad as the first, I don't have any morning sickness, it's actually been pleasant." Hermione said when Angelina asked how she was doing.

"And how's Harry?" Molly asked.

"He's okay, mood swings are the same. One minute he's happy, the next he's angry, sad the next. Reminds me of my mood swings." The ladies all laughed.

"He could easily out eat Ron in an eating contest."

Hermione, remembering how rare it was to see Harry eat nearly as much as Ron, was surprised.

"Really?"

"I've seen it three times this week" Ginny replied, remembering the surprise when Harry fixed himself seconds and thirds of the pork chops, potatoes and carrots.

"Is Shanti concerned about him gaining too much weight?" Molly asked.

"I'll find out when we go this week" Ginny replied. She turned to her mother "We go next week for an ultrasound appointment. We usually do them at the same time, but Shanti scheduled the ultrasound for next week. But I'm wondering if you would like to go with us?"

Molly looked at Ginny with a smile. They would find out if the baby was going to be a girl or a boy.

"Yes I would, who would keep the boys?" Molly asked.

Angelina spoke up "I will, you've kept Fred and I can return the favor"

"Alright" Ginny said and looked at her mother. She hoped that her suspicions were correct and that the baby in Harry's belly was a girl.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny brushed her teeth, thinking of what she needed to do the next day. She was looking forward to the appointment they had with Shanti this week and the one for the ultrasound the next. The boys were asleep, Teddy was at Andromeda's for the week and Harry was already in the bed.

He came home feeling tired and decided to camp out on the couch for the evening. Ginny popped in a movie and the boys watched with interest – _Curious George_, a movie about a curious little monkey who lived with a man with a yellow hat. The boys loved the movie. Harry fell asleep halfway through it.

Ginny smiled when she remembered how loving her sons were towards their dad. They covered him up with a blanket they'd found in the closet, then kissed him good-night.

She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard Harry.

"Ow!" Harry said, placing a hand on his stomach with a pained expression.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked, alarmed.

"I don't know, I just felt something sharp down where the…ow!" Harry looked at Ginny with a pained and scared expression. Ginny settled beside him in their bed and placed her hand under his shirt on his bulging bump. She felt something kick her hand.

"Harry, I think this is the baby moving!" Ginny said in an excited tone.

"It is?" Harry asked, matching her expression.

Harry laid back in the bed as Ginny raised his shirt up. She should faintly see the baby's foot under Harry's belly button.

"It is the baby moving!" Ginny said, leaning down to speak to it. "Hello, sweetheart, this is your mummy. I hope daddy's taking care of you." She kissed Harry's baby bump.

"Now that the baby's mobile in my stomach, does this mean that I won't get a moment's peace?" Harry asked.

"That's later in the pregnancy." Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry. "I think we have a ways to go before the baby uses your bladder as a trampoline."

"I'm not looking forward to that," Harry stated.

Ginny reached over and rubbed his stomach. She used to absentmindedly rub Harry's stomach to help relax him after a long day at work. Now she did so she could feel their child moving around. She rubbed his stomach until she heard his snores telling her that he had fallen asleep. She quickly and easily joined him, dreaming of a little girl with red hair and brown eyes, a complete daddy's girl.


	6. What's It Going to Be

Harry sat in Shanti's waiting room, looking at a magazine for pregnant witches. When he walked in, most of the waiting room looked at him like he had grown two heads. He'd gotten used to the looks and stares, being the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived and the defeater of You-Know-Who, but now he was getting looks for a different reason.

He had managed to sneak out of the office and get to St. Mungo's without anyone stopping him for some reason or another – as was usually the case – and was now waiting on Ginny. He looked at the clock on the wall and found he had five minutes left until his appointment time. He was starting to wonder if Ginny was going to be late again for another doctor's appointment.

As if on cue, Ginny came through the front door of Shanti's office and sat in the chair next to him.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Tired. My back feels sore, and this little monkey hasn't stopped moving all morning," Harry replied, indicating his belly. Ginny placed her hand on his middle and felt their unborn child kick her hand.

"Wow. What do you want to bet it's a girl?"

"Harry Potter," the Welcome Witch called. Ginny helped Harry out of the chair and followed the pretty blonde until they stopped next to the scales. Harry toed off his shoes and stepped up, his jaw hitting the floor when the numbers appeared.

"175 pounds," the nurse muttered as she wrote down the readings on a clipboard.

"Is this bad?" Harry whispered nervously to Ginny.

"Not at all! It's normal to gain some weight during pregnancy," Ginny explained before bending down to pick up his shoes to carry to the exam room. "Two visits ago, you weighed 150, then 160, and now 175. You're not eating a bunch and not a lot of junk. You're pregnant. Weight like this is normal."

"Okay, change into this and Shanti will be in shortly," the Welcome Witch said, laying down the gown and pants and leaving.

"Explain to me the purpose of wearing the gown and pants every single time?" Harry asked, picking up the garb.

"Easier to examine you I guess," Ginny explained with a shrug.

Harry took off his shirt and tossed it to her before pulling the gown over his head. He then jerked his pants off, tossed them to Ginny, and slid on the scrub pants, placing himself on the end of the table.

"We'll find out what the baby is next week," Ginny said excitedly.

"Did you know your brothers are betting on what the baby is?" Harry asked.

"Yes, all of them think it's a boy, while the sisters-in-law think it's a girl. What are you guessing?" Ginny asked.

"Girl, too quiet sometimes to be a boy. Also kicks like a boxer. What about you?" Harry threw the question back.

"I'm thinking a girl. I would love to have a daughter, one with red hair, your green eyes…" Ginny sighed dreamily.

"I was thinking, what would you like to name it?" Harry asked. He already a name in mind, at least for a girl. He just needed to know what Ginny thought.

"I don't know about what to name a boy, but I really want a Lily," Ginny answered. She waited a moment before she asked, "Are you okay with that?"

"That's what I was going to say." Harry was surprised that Ginny wanted to name their child after the mother-in-law she never got to meet.

Any discussion of boys' names and middle names was cut short as a knock came at the door and Shanti stepped in.

"Hello, how are we doing?"

"Tired. The baby's started moving and it doesn't know the difference between night and day," Harry explained.

"That's perfectly normal." Shanti started taking Harry's vitals and blood pressure.

"Great! Everything seems to be going well so far," she said as she released the blood pressure cuff from Harry's arm.

"Any nausea, dizziness, bleeding, anything out of the ordinary?" Shanti asked.

"None," Harry replied.

"Okay, lie back on the table and let's see what's going on in there, shall we?"

Harry scooted back on the table before lying down. Shanti pulled up his gown and waved her wand over his bare stomach, focusing on the growing baby bump. Soon a thumping sound was heard in the room.

The sound of their unborn child was music to their ears.

"The heartbeat sounds good," Shanti informed Harry and Ginny as she cancelled the spell. She laid her wand down on the table and turned back to Harry.

"Now let's see how big this little one is" Shanti stated as she pressed on Harry's stomach. She felt the baby moving slightly under her fingers and found the baby's head and feet, measuring how long the baby was.

"Good, the baby is a healthy size for nearly twenty weeks. You're almost half way through the pregnancy," Shanti informed Harry as she wrote down the measurements in his file.

"Now, I'm going to press on your stomach and see how things are going in there."

"From your stand point, how has this pregnancy gone?" Ginny asked.

"Very well," Shanti replied as she pressed Harry's belly. "Harry started out healthy and the baby seems to be growing and developing on time." Harry winced slightly when he felt Shanti's hand under his belly button.

"I don't have Harry's pregnancy categorized as high risk, although I want to keep a closer eye on him when he gets closer to his due date," Shanti explained.

Shanti continued her exam for another five minutes. When she would feel the baby, it moved away from her hand.

"I think this baby is going to be stubborn, it's moving all over the place," Shanti commented. Harry agreed with her.

"Okay, everything looks good," Shanti said, allowing Harry to sit up. "I will see you next week and hopefully the little one would allow us to see if it's a boy or a girl."

"I think we're hoping for a girl," Ginny said, handing Harry back his clothes.

"What's the bet?" Shanti asked. She delivered almost all of the Weasley grandchildren with the exception of Louis who was delivered by his father, as Fleur's labor had progressed too quickly for them to make it to St. Mungo's.

"All the men minus Dad and Harry think it's a boy. The rest of us think it's a girl," Ginny explained. She helped Harry down off the table and into a chair where he put his shoes back on.

"There's another," Harry stated.

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

"Whether or not I'm going to make it to the due date, if the baby decides to come early or if I beg Shanti to deliver it sooner. Only few think I'll make it to the due date."

Ginny raised her eyebrows in surprise. She knew her brothers had given Harry a hard time about him being pregnant, but betting on whether or not Harry was going to beg the Healer to deliver their child early just to get the pregnancy over was a little over the top. She knew Harry wouldn't do that. Of course, come contraction time, _then_ he might be begging.

"Okay, I will you next week for the ultrasound," Shanti said as she went out the door. Harry and Ginny followed her to the Welcome Witch to make their next appointment.

"See you next week. Try to keep the stress to a minimum, Harry," Shanti said in a warning tone. She was close to putting him on bed rest so they wouldn't risk the health of the baby, especially considering this was _Harry_.

"Shanti, my mother will be accompanying us, is that okay?" Ginny asked.

Shanti nodded. "I'll set up the larger room. I haven't seen Molly since you delivered Albus. Anytime a family member other than you and Harry want to come to the appointments, just let us know in advance."

"Okay, see you next week," Ginny said as she followed Harry to the fireplace to Floo home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"What about your full first name" Harry asked. They was lying in bed later that night, discussing middle names for their daughter.

"No, I refuse my daughter's name to be Ginevra" Ginny stated in a tone Harry knew all too well.

"Okay, what about Molly?" Harry suggested "but then again Percy named his daughter Molly."

"I have a suggestion" Ginny said as she motioned for Harry move closer to her so she could rub his back.

"Okay what is it?" Harry said, relaxing immediately at his wife's touch. Harry was almost half way through his pregnancy. His back started bothering him more and the little monkey in his stomach didn't stop moving. Luckily it didn't kick a lot, it would occasionally head bump into a rib or one of Harry's kidney.

"Luna"

Harry thought about it for a second and replied "Lily Luna Potter, has a nice ring to it doesn't it".

"Lily is of course after your mom, but Luna would actually be after two people" Ginny pulled Harry to lean against her and she wrapped her hands around his waist, rubbing his pregnant belly.

"How?" Harry asked, leaning his head back on Ginny's shoulders. Ginny would rub his back and stomach every night to relax him, in hopes he would get some sleep.

"Luna is after the friend who has been there for me and you when we needed a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on or a hug. She's a close friend to our family and her name means Moon. Who did we know that has a moon related nickname?"

Harry thought about it for a second and then it hit him "Moony…..Remus".

"Right, so in a way we're honoring the Marauders, James, Sirius and Remus" Ginny exclaimed.

Harry felt the baby move under Ginny's hand, almost like it knew that the hand belonged to its mother.

They sat in silence, Ginny continued to rub Harry's stomach in a soothing matter and Harry allowed himself to relax.

"What about a name for a boy?" Harry asked after several moments of contented silence.

"Something tells me that we won't need a boy's name, but if we did, I was thinking maybe Arthur something-or-another. I think Dad would be honored," Ginny said, resting her hand on Harry's stomach. She softly rubbed it, feeling their baby move under her hand.

Harry allowed Ginny's stomach rub to relax him enough to start to feel sleepy.

"Let's get some sleep Harry," Ginny said as she moved to her side of the bed. She soon heard his snores fill the room and let them lull her to sleep, the positivity that she was going to get her little girl being the last coherent thoughts in her head.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Leaky Cauldron was crowded for the mid-morning rush. There were a few hours until lunch, so the brunch crowd was busy getting breakfast before Hannah switched to the lunch menu.

Ginny entered the busy pub and looked around.

"Hello Ginny, they're in private room 2," Hannah called to Ginny over the noise of some of the Auror trainees enjoying their early break.

"Thanks, Hannah!" Ginny replied, making her way through the crowd, muttering an apology if she or her bag hit something. She made it to the private room and opened the door, greeted by Gwenog sitting at one of the tables next to Caroline, one of Ginny's former teammates.

"Ginny, it's been a long time!" Caroline exclaimed as she hugged Ginny.

"It has! The last time I seen you was at the Ministry's Christmas Ball!" Ginny said as she turned to hug Gwenog. 

"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" Caroline said as she sat down in her chair. "I've been meaning to owl you so we can meet for lunch".

"I've been meaning to get with you to catch up without you having to jot down everything I say," Gwenog said with a grin.

The girls laughed. Ginny had been busy since she took the job as Quidditch Correspondent for the_ Prophet_.

"So how's my favorite Auror?" Gwenog asked once Ginny had gotten settled into the seat next to her.

"He's good," Ginny laughed. "They've been working on some cases. All I know is it's Muggle baiting and Harry's been trying to identify the ringleader. Everyone they've arrested has been involved somehow."

"How's the pregnancy going, by the way?" Caroline asked.

"Been going good," Ginny replied happily. "He had a hard time with morning sickness, but that's long gone. We go to our Healer's next week to find out if it's a boy or a girl."

"Hoping for a girl?" Gwenog asked, peeking over her menu at her former teammate as the younger witch skimmed hers.

"Yep," Ginny said with a smile. "We even have a name picked out."

"What is it?" Caroline asked.

"Lily Luna Potter."

"I think it's got a really nice ring to it. Does Harry want a girl?" Gwenog asked.

"You bet he does."

Silence filled the room for a few more moments before Hannah came to collect their orders.

"So…what's new with you?" Ginny asked once the former Hufflepuff left.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat in the observation room off one of the training rooms in the Auror Training section of the Auror Department, occasionally making suggestions to the Trainees with his wand.

"Justin, lower your arm a little. There, _now_ aim at the target."

"You look terrible, mate," Ron observed when he entered the observation room to check up on his brother-in-law.

"Thanks for the compliment," Harry muttered sarcastically.

"You okay?" Ron asked.

"I haven't gotten much sleep," Harry replied. "What was I thinking?!" he shrieked suddenly, grabbing Ron and shaking him. "Twenty more weeks of _this_!" He gestured to his distended belly. "I can't take it."

"Hermione is in the same boat you are, mate, and just think! These twenty weeks are going to go by so fast that soon, you'll be holding that baby right there," Ron said, patting Harry's stomach. He felt the baby kick under his hand in the three seconds it was on Harry's stomach.

"You weren't kidding when you said that the baby moved constantly," Ron said with a hint of sympathy.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Harry pointed his wand to the door and it swung open to reveal Maisy, his secretary.

"Harry, this came for you five minutes ago," she said, handing Harry a letter.

"Thanks, Maisy."

When the bespectacled brunette left, Harry opened the letter and sighed.

"What is it, mate?" Ron asked.

Harry handed him the letter.

"'Dolores Umbridge is scheduled for a probation hearing on April 15th at 1:00 pm in Courtroom 5,'" Ron read. "What does this mean?"

"She won't get it. The Wizengamot and Kingsley have already decided she's going to wait another ten years. Don't even know why she needs the hearing at all."

Ron turned his attention to the trainee instructor Harry had hired to assist him. "How do you he's doing?" he asked.

"Considering this is his second week, he's doing okay. He's sort of like Yonas and that's why Kingsley recommended him."

Ron looked at Harry puzzled. "Kingsley was a reference on his resume," Harry explained.

After a few more minutes watching the training, Harry was interrupted by a knock at the door. He called for entrance and Maisy, his secretary, poked her head in.

"Your wife's on the Floo, sir."

"Thank you, Maisy. I'll be there in a minute," Harry replied, packing up his things and excusing himself from the training. He headed to the Floos, Maisy directing him to the one that Ginny's head was in.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Can you get away a little early today?" Ginny asked.

"Why?" Harry countered.

"Shanti had a cancellation and she can move us up to today," Ginny explained.

Harry was confused as to what Ginny was talking about. "What?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"We can come in for the ultrasound appointment today instead of tomorrow. You're at twenty one weeks and we might be able to see if this little one's a boy or a girl!" Ginny couldn't keep her excitement out of her voice.

"Okay. Is your mum coming?" Harry asked. He knew that while Molly had grown a bit tired of Muggle electronics, it was next to impossible for her to resist the temptation to take a gander at her incoming grandchild.

"Yes, she's coming. Angelina's got the boys. I'll meet you at Shanti's office at two."

"Okay, see you then."

Harry walked to his office to get the rest of his things and found Ron standing outside.

"Be prepared to cash on in the gender bets Sunday. Ginny called to tell me the ultrasound appointment was moved to this afternoon at two."

"What are you guessing?" Ron asked.

"Girl. Ginny wants a daughter," Harry stated, moving a purple file into a filing cabinet.

"She feels like she's drowning in a sea of testosterone, doesn't she?"

"Mm-hmm, especially after the two little monsters we call our sons. Al's hit his terrible twos a little early."

Ron winced. "Worse than James?"

"Actually, more like Freddie."

It was needless to say that George had gotten paid back for everything he did as child with his son Fred. He hugged Molly one day and thanked her for not drowning him and his twin Fred at birth.

A knock on Harry's door interrupted their conversation. Harry turned to find Ginny and Molly standing at the door.

"Hello boys, we figured we come and see if you would like to go lunch."

Without any prompting, Harry and Ron followed Molly and Ginny to the lifts to the Atrium. Ginny stopped long enough for her mother and brother to walk ahead of them and soon matched strides with her husband.

"I know you always had a difficult time getting out of the office to get to our appointments. I figured this way I could feed you lunch and then we would go to St. Mungo's," Ginny explained.

"Good idea," Harry replied. "I'm starving." They took a little detour to invite Hermione to lunch, then headed to the fireplaces, where they Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. They sat down to lunch and promptly began discussing everything baby.

"I hope we have a boy, but I don't know if I could raise a son," Hermione confessed, cutting her meatball in half.

"Hermione, it's no different than a daughter. I had six of them before I had Ginny," Molly said soothingly.

"Look at this way," Ginny said and then pointed to Harry and Ron. "Look how well these two turned out".

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed.

"What are you getting at Gin?" Harry asked.

"You three have been best friends for about…I don't know, forever! She's practically taken care of you two. Ron would still be talking with his mouth full," Ginny said, stirring the sauce in her chicken.

"What about me?" Harry asked.

"I did the opposite, tried to get you to eat more" Hermione explained.

She recalled the early years at Hogwarts when Harry was so skinny that when he didn't have a shirt on, you could count his ribs. Later on, his eating habits improved. He ate nearly as much as Ron, only cleaner.

Ginny leaned and whispered to Harry. "Try to wait until after the ultrasound to go to the restroom. They work better when you have a full bladder."

When they finished lunch they returned to the Ministry, where Ginny, Harry and Molly went out past the visitor's entrance of the Ministry to the community parking lot where Ginny had parked the car.

She then drove off, heading to St. Mungo's.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat on the table in the green gown and scrub pants he had worn at every appointment with Shanti. Ginny sat in a chair next to him with Molly in the chair next to her. Molly looked around the room at the different equipment, occasionally asking questions.

Harry swung his feet out in front of him. He realized that he had one the pair with a hole in the toe.

"I need to repair that or buy you some new socks," Ginny said, causing Harry, who had been lost in thought, to jump "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright, honey," Harry replied.

"I know that's a gown, but what about the pants?" Molly asked.

Ginny explained to her the reason for them was for male pregnancy patients. Shanti had delivered many male pregnancies, some in similar situations to Harry and Ginny.

A knock came at the door and Shanti came in the room.

"Hello everyone" she said as she closed the door behind her. "Molly, I haven't seen you since Albus was born! How are you?"

"Great! Arthur and I are excited for more grandbabies to love and spoil!" Molly said with a smile.

Shanti smiled. "How are you going, Ginny?"

"Good, I actually would like a word with you when we're done. Alone," Ginny said, the last part looking at her mother and husband.

"Okay, we do need to set up a time for you to come in." She turned to Harry. "But first and most importantly, how are you?"

"Tired, my back feels sore, I'm getting to where I can't see my feet and the little monkey doesn't ever stop moving, but other than that I'm okay," Harry replied.

"Harry, you're at twenty one weeks, halfway through the pregnancy. I'm going to recommend you start cutting back on your hours. Spend some time at home. You can work from home if you need to. I'm not putting you on bed rest…yet. We need to keep this little one in a little longer."

Harry looked at Ginny, almost if they were having a conversation mentally. He then turned to Shanti. "I'll talk to Kingsley and Ron tomorrow."

"Okay, are we ready to see what this little one is?" Shanti asked.

She was met with three excited shouts of "yes."

Without prompting, Harry laid down on the table and pulled up the gown. Ginny stood beside him with Molly next to her. Shanti squirted the gel on Harry's belly and placed the wand on his bulging stomach.

"How's the potion going?" Shanti asked. Harry had to take a potion once a day to keep him and the baby healthy. Like all the potions Harry had taken in his lifetime in the wizarding world, they were nasty.

"Good, I take them every morning."

"Excellent," Shanti said, turning her attention to the screen. Molly was awed when she saw her grandchild on the screen.

"How precious is that!" she exclaimed as she watched the baby suck its thumb.

"Okay, everything looks good," Shanti said as she moved the wand down. "Heart looks good and healthy. Lungs are good. Okay now, let's see if we can see if it's a…" The baby moved just as she moved her wand to see if the baby was a boy or a girl.

"I felt that," Harry said. It was interesting for the baby to move inside him but to see on a screen as well... No experience could compare.

"Well, we do have a clear view of what the baby is," Shanti said with a smile, and she looked at Ginny, Molly and then Harry.

"And?" the women said in unison.

"Well, looks like Harry will be getting a Daddy's girl."

Ginny and Molly shrieked. "It's a girl!"

"Here's a picture of your little girl, have a name picked out?" Shanti asked as she handed Ginny some towels to wipe the gel off Harry's stomach.

"Lily," Ginny replied.

"Who's this one named after?" Shanti asked, knowing who James and Albus were named after.

"My mum," Harry answered "I know a group of men who aren't going to be happy."

"Okay, I'll see you at your appointment next month. Ginny, you said that you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes." She waited until Molly and Harry were out of the room before she started. "I was wondering what I could do to help Harry relax some. I thought about having Mum and Dad watch the boys for a weekend so I could spend some time with him."

Shanti smiled and nodded. "He deserves some pampering. If you're wanting to do this at home. Massage is a great way to help his back pain. He can't lie on his belly, but he could on his side. Lightly massaging the abdomen is recommended, but don't you do that now?"

Ginny nodded. "I've been doing so since before we were married, especially when he was sick. Of course now it's also to feel the baby moving."

Shanti walked to her office and got a booklet. "This will give you all the information you need about massage during pregnancy."

"Thank you," Ginny said as she picked up her purse. "Can we discuss our options on delivery during our next appointment? It's starting to give Harry some anxiety."

"Sure, we were going to anyway," Shanti replied.

"Thank you and we'll see you next month," Ginny said as she made her way to where her mother and husband were waiting.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked when Ginny approached her.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask a question." She looked around for Harry. "Where's Harry?"

"Restroom," Molly replied.

"Mum, can you take the boys next weekend? I want to spend some time with Harry."

"Of course, honey! What have you got planned?"

"I'm going to do some pampering. Shanti recommended some pregnancy-safe massages and she said they would help with his back pain."

"Did Harry do that for you?" Molly asked.

"Some, not all of what I'm planning," Ginny said, their conversation ending when Harry came out of the restroom.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

They headed to the Floo and went home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Later that night Ginny came out of the bathroom and smiled. She watched Harry sleep for a few minutes before she walked over to her side of the bed. She sat down on the bed and watched as Harry turned over to his other side, facing her.

Harry looked younger than what he was when he slept. She didn't see the lines in his face that appeared with he was stressed. She looked down at his belly and smiled. Scooting down in the bed, she laid on her side facing Harry or rather Harry's stomach.

When she was pregnant with the boys Harry would talk to them when they were still in her stomach. Now she could do the same. She knew she wouldn't wake up Harry.

"Hi baby girl, it's Mummy. I hope Daddy's taking care of you. Mummy wishes I was the one carrying you. But I can't. I hope you'll appreciate your Daddy for carrying you. I know he loves you already. Just like I do."

Ginny placed her hand on Harry's stomach, feeling their little girl moving beneath her palm. Gently she lifted up his shirt and kissed the bulging bump, lightly rubbing his stomach. She noticed a hair line going up from his belly button to the middle of the bulge. She noticed some of the stretch marks that lined his stomach. She made a note to pick up some cream for the stretch marks and some stuff to get rid of the hair. If Shanti planned on a Cesarean section, Harry's stomach would need to be clean-shaven.

She pulled down his shirt and turned over. A minute later she felt Harry tap her shoulder.

"Can you get me some stomach soother? My stomach feels gassy."

Wordlessly Ginny got up and went to the bathroom. Morning sickness and periods of nausea had been long gone. Now they were traded for the occasional feeling of nausea, stomachaches and gas pains. Shanti told him that digestive distress was part of the pregnancy package.

Ginny went to Harry's side of the bed and helped him sit up enough. She handed him the stomach soother. Once he downed the potion she handed him a glass of water.

"Thanks Gin," Harry mumbled as he laid back down.

Ginny returned to bed. When she finally went to sleep, she dreamed of a red-headed girl with her eyes, who had Harry wrapped around her little finger.


	7. Happy Husband, Happy Baby

A Long Nine Months Chapter 7 - Happy Husband, Happy Baby

Harry and Ginny had to wait five weeks to tell the family that the baby in Harry's stomach was girl. The main reason for the delay was James had came down with Dragon Pox two days after the ultrasound appointment, prompting Harry and Albus to retreat to the Burrow for the week-long period James would be considered contagious. Then Easter came in April, bringing with it colds that ran through almost the entire family. Albus was hospitalized because of dehydration. Ginny and Molly took turns taking care of him in the hopes that Harry didn't get sick. When everyone was well again, Hermione and Ron announced that they were having a boy. Not wanting Ron and Hermione to have to share the spotlight, Harry and Ginny opted to wait.

James's birthday came in the middle of April, almost a month after finding out what the baby was. Tomorrow they would announce to the family that their baby was a girl. Ginny knew her mother was secretly working on pink blankets and booties.

Harry had taken Shanti's suggestion and in April, he cut down on his hours at work. He would be on paternity leave a few weeks before the baby was due and then an additional month after the birth. He would most likely go back to work in September. In the meantime James and Albus loved having Harry home. He wasn't allowed to lift James, but Albus he could. James was in the independence stage where he didn't want Ginny or Harry to do anything. He didn't want them to go the bathroom with him, but Ginny would still go because he still didn't clean himself properly.

The warm spring weather caused the usually comfortable Burrow to be a sweat box for Harry and Hermione. Ginny placed a strong cooling charm she'd used when she was pregnant on Harry to keep him from having a heat stroke.

When they entered the Burrow one Sunday in late April, all conversations had stopped and they looked at Harry and Ginny.

"Well?" Charlie asked.

"Are you going to tell us what the little monkey is, as Harry puts it?" George asked.

The room was silent until Ginny said, "It's a girl!"

Cheers and groans filled the air.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

After a lunch of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, the women all gathered in the shade of the old oak tree in the back.

"How much longer, Hermione?" Audrey asked.

"Not too long, he's a lot farther than we thought. I'm thirty weeks as of today," Hermione replied, turning to watch Ron play with Rose. She looked over and saw Harry, James, and Albus under the shade of the trees on the other side of the yard.

"How's Harry?" Angelina asked, following her eyes to the boys.

"Good," Ginny replied. "He's been having more back pain, which at this stage in the pregnancy is normal. Mum's watching the boys next weekend, so I can spend some time with him."

Talk then turned to what the men had done for each of them during their pregnancies, and then Fleur asked how Ginny much longer it would be until Harry's paternity leave.

"I'm not sure, he hasn't said yet," said Ginny. "He's decided that we're going to the memorial next week, though."

The ladies all looked at Ginny. Next week would mark ten years since the Battle of Hogwarts. Kingsley didn't ask Harry to speak to the service because he didn't want to cause any more stress on him, especially now, so close to his due date. Despite this attempt, Harry had already planned on attending the memorial.

Which was the reason Ginny was going to wait until after the memorial to pamper Harry.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry didn't sleep the night of May 1st going into the morning of May 2nd. His mind kept repeating the images. The Horcrux hunt, breaking into the ministry and Gringotts, the battle in the beginning, the deaths, and so much more, especially the aftermath. Ginny had jumped in his arms when he returned to the Great Hall after disposing of the Elder Wand and repairing his own.

He relived the battle for months and sometimes with different outcomes. The most common one – that the killing curse that passed Ginny's ear did hit her. She was his reason for fighting and without her, his life was meaningless.

However for Ginny, the day was not only a reminder of the battle, losing her brother and nearly losing Harry, it was a reminder of that dark time when James was a baby. He was just a newborn when Harry had received word that Hermione and the other ministry employees who were working on house elf rights and werewolf rights were receiving death threats.

Ron was put on administrative leave because of Hermione. In the end, he helped bring in the person responsible. Harry had gone to arrest the person, only to discover that it was Rita Skeeter. Her partner was a former Auror who hated Harry. It was during his arrest that he attacked Harry, knocking him unconscious.

They could think their lucky stars that Harry wasn't seriously hurt. The blast from the explosion caused Harry to fly ten feet, knocking him unconscious. He was in a potion induced coma for nearly two weeks, though. Ginny had never been scared like that since the battle.

Harry's biggest fear in life may have been losing Ginny, but Ginny's biggest fear in life was losing him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The alarm clock on the bedside table showed that it was five fifteen. Harry knew he wouldn't go back to sleep. He felt Lily moving around in his stomach as he slowly got out of bed. To his relief, Ginny was still asleep.

Harry walked across the hall to what once was Teddy's room, but would soon be Lily's. Teddy was sleeping in the bed that was still there. The house had a two-sided attic; one side was finished and the other wasn't. The finished side was going to be Teddy's new room, so his old room could be Lily's.

Harry went to the room next door and watched James sleep. He slept like Harry did, all over the place. Ginny had once joked that she needed to put a shield charm in the middle of their bed to keep Harry from rolling onto her.

He crossed the hallway, backtracking to his and Ginny's bedroom, quietly as to not wake Ginny. He reached his destination, passed the hall bathroom and to Albus's room. His room was the closest to Harry and Ginny because when he came home from the hospital he required extra care than what James did. Harry had placed a charm on the room that alerted them to any distress Albus may have had, everything from not breathing to temperature change. When he got older the charm changed to where there was a silencing charm on the boys' bedrooms, but if they hollered for Harry or Ginny in the night, they would be heard.

Harry placed the silencing charm so he wouldn't wake the boys up in the event of a nightmare. Once he had checked on his sons, he waddled downstairs, heading to the kitchen to fix himself a glass of water.

Despite the war having been over for ten years, Harry still couldn't get over how his life turned out. His mind took him back to his 18th birthday, the first one after the war. As a matter of fact, he was the first one in the family to have a birthday since the battle. He had been busy making plans for Ginny's 17th birthday that he had forgotten about his own.

Harry never thought he'd live to see his 18th birthday. Molly had fixed all his favorites and everyone came. Neville, Luna, Seamus, Oliver, Katie, Angelina, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, and Kingsley all came to celebrate Harry's birthday. The Weasleys were all there, from Bill right down to Ginny.

Of all the presents he received the most surprising was his own hand on the Weasley Family clock. Molly said that he was like another son to them and felt that he deserved to have his own hand on the clock. With tears in his eyes, Harry hugged Molly and thanked her for treating him like he was her own son.

When Ginny's birthday came a week or so later, Harry took her out on their first date since the war. He had discovered a movie theater in London that played old movies and one of them was _The Sound of Music. _Ginny loved it and the restaurant they went to for dinner before the movie was romantic. After the movie, Harry took her to see his new flat. They spend the night in the bedroom talking.

A sharp kick from Lily brought Harry's thoughts back to the present. He looked down at his stomach, feeling Lily moving around. He headed to the living room where he sat down on the couch.

He soon fell asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny woke up when the sunlight shined through their bedroom window. She stretched cautiously as to not smash up against Harry. When she turned and found Harry's side empty she got up and checked the bathroom. She went downstairs and found her husband on the couch, fast asleep.

She quietly made eggs, sausage and waffles, knowing her boys would need a filling breakfast for the day's activities. Once she had breakfast done, she a warming charm on it went into the living room where Harry was still asleep. She placed her hand on her husband's stomach, feeling their daughter move under her hand. She knew Lily wasn't the reason Harry hadn't slept much the night before.

"Harry, hon, it's time to get up." Ginny gently shook him awake.

His green eyes opened up and looked up into her brown ones. Ginny helped him up and he headed to the downstairs bathroom. When he returned to the kitchen, he found the boys up and in their seats.

"Morning, Daddy," James said as Harry waddled past him.

"Morning, James," Harry said, admiring Ginny's breakfast.

Albus looked up from his waffles as Ginny poured orange juice in his cup.

"Morning, Daddy," he said, forking a piece of cut-up sausage.

After breakfast, Harry took a shower while Ginny washed and dressed the boys. When Harry was done, she hopped in the shower.

Once she was dressed, they headed to the Burrow. Molly and Arthur were busy getting a head start on what would be dinner that night. Ginny came in and placed the salad she made that morning in the refrigerator.

A few years ago, Molly and Arthur went on a holiday to the Caribbean, an anniversary gift from their children, arranged by Hermione. While they were gone, they planned on a surprise for Molly. When they returned, they found an updated kitchen with modern and some muggle appliances with charms on them. The fridge had the extension charm to make it bigger to accommodate the growing family, despite the fact that it was only Arthur and Molly living at the Burrow. The old table was refurbished and extended with room for more. Harry provided the finances for the kitchen project, he explained to Molly that it was his way to say thank you to her for all the years she fed him and provided him with love.

Needless to say, Molly was in tears by the time Harry was done explaining.

When Ron and Hermione came with Rosie, everybody disapparated to Hogwarts, except for Harry and Hermione, who Flooed.

"I see congratulations are in order," said Professor McGonagall upon their arrival. "When are you due?"

"Mid July," Hermione answered.

"End of July, early August," Harry replied.

"I'm having a boy, Ron's excited," Hermione told her former professor.

"And you and Ginny?" McGonagall asked Harry.

"A girl, thankfully," Harry replied, knowing Professor McGonagall had heard stories of the terrible two who called him Daddy. Together they made their way to the memorial garden overlooking the Black Lake.

At noon, Kingsley began his speech, which was short so that those who wanted to could explore the memorial garden and the memorial up at the school.

Ginny walked along side her mother as she looked at Fred's memorial. George was on the other side, with Angelina holding his late twin's namesake in her arms. Arthur remained behind, having already seen the memorial garden once that day and opting to stay back to watch his grandchildren. Ginny left to go in search of her husband, passing the memorials for her uncles and only pausing to hug Dennis Creevey in front of Colin's.

She found Harry where she knew he would be – in front of his parents' memorial next to Sirius's. Harry's only request was for his parents, Sirius, Tonks and Remus's memorials to be together. It was moments like these that reminded Ginny just how thankful she was that

he had survived the war.

When they returned to the castle, Molly approached Ginny and asked, "What time are you bringing the boys over?"

"Three," she said looking at her husband, who was gazing out over the lake.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry Flooed home from work a few days later and found the house quiet. He looked around and heard Ginny in the kitchen. He walked in the kitchen watching his wife, fix a plate of spaghetti.

"Where are the boys?" he asked.

"Mum and Dad's for the weekend. We'll get them on Sunday. I figured you could use a weekend where it was just us two."

Harry went in his home office where he dropped his bag in a chair, stopping in the hall bathroom to wash his hands. As he walked to his chair, Ginny kissed his cheek and leaned down and talked to his stomach. "Hello Lily, are you being a good girl?"

Harry sat down at the table. "So what do you have planned?"

"Well after dinner, you're going to get a shower and then afterwards, I'm going to give you a massage."

"Like what I did when you were pregnant?" Harry asked.

Ginny nodded. "I figured you deserved some pampering."

Harry recalled the bubble baths and the two hours he spent massaging her back and feet. He didn't think Ginny would return the favor if he'd gotten pregnant. But then, he didn't think he'd be the one to carry a baby.

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked, wanting to know what to expect.

"Patience, my love. You'll see soon enough."

Ginny sat down in the chair closest to Harry. They talked about the plans for the nursery and Teddy's room. Ginny planned since to decorate the latter in the colors of Puddlemere United, seeing as the boy was a huge fan. When they finished with dinner, Ginny shooed Harry to the living room to relax while she cleaned up the kitchen. Ten minutes later, she finished cleaning the kitchen and led Harry upstairs to the master bathroom.

"I've prepared a bubble bath for the two of us and afterward I'll give you a massage."

"Good, I could use one," Harry said as he tried to rub his back.

Ten minutes later found Harry and Ginny in their tub in the master bathroom. Ginny smiled when Harry leaned his head back and closed his eyes with a relaxed sigh. Since the Auror office wasn't that busy Harry was able to cut down on his hours, but he had decided to push back the date to begin his paternity leave due to a few trials his presence was requested for. Some of the Aurors had captured one of the ringleaders of the Muggle Baiting case and found the Death Eaters who attempted to kill Harry and Ron a few years ago.

"Ready to get out?" Ginny asked once the water got cold.

"Yeah."

Ginny handed Harry a towel to dry off and a pair of his shorts.

"Meet me in the bedroom when you're ready."

Ginny left Harry in the bathroom so she could get set up. Shanti had recommended a place to get a pregnancy pillow since she had relatives that were Muggleborn. Ginny had found a massage pillow that had a hole in the middle. The sale clerk had explained that it would allow the pregnant woman to lay belly down for a back massage. Ginny told her that it was a gift for her brother and sister in law. How does one explain the situation Harry and Ginny were in? _You_ try explaining how your husband is pregnant!

She placed the pillow on the bed and set the small folding table that came from Harry's bachelor flat beside the bed.

A minute later she heard Harry. "Somebody has been planning this for a long time."

She turned and found him standing there in only his shorts. She gave him an onceover she did many times before when they were first married. She noticed how much bigger Harry's stomach had gotten over the last month. Shanti had shown no concern over his weight gain.

"I have. I figured you deserved to be pampered like you did for me when I was pregnant with the boys."

Harry slowly crawled in the bed and laid in the pillow Ginny laid on the bed. She had charmed it so his belly went in the hole and the breast holes disappeared. He placed his head in the hole at the top of the pillow and waited for Ginny to begin her massage. He soon heard the sound of a bottle opening and shutting and the sound of Ginny rubbing her hands together.

He sighed to himself when he felt Ginny's hands work on his shoulder blazes. Ginny didn't plan on massaging his upper back as much as his lower back.

"How am I doing, sweetie?" Ginny asked after moving down Harry's back.

"Good."

She moved down lower to Harry's lower back, gently working out the knots she felt. She gently kneeded the muscles in his back, allowing her oiled hands to roam his lower back. She moved her hands to his side where his back muscles met his abdominal muscles. She let her hands slide down his left side and then his right.

"Gin, you're good at this," Harry mumbled.

"Thanks, now I'm about ready for you to flip."

Ginny finished Harry's back massage by stroking his back in a wave motion, gently kneeing his lower back and letting her hands slide down his sides.

She helped Harry crawl out of the pillow and when Harry's belly was out of the pillow, she moved the pillow to the other side of the bed.

Harry crawled back to where the pillow was and laid down on his back near Ginny. She sat down at the foot of the bed and massaged his feet. She moved up and massages his ankles and back down again. She looked at Harry and saw the look of relaxation on his face.

Harry laid on the bed, feeling Ginny massaging his feet and Lily moving around in his belly. When he felt Ginny get up and her hands left his feet, he was about to ask what she was going to do next when he felt her hands on his stomach. He looked down and saw Ginny's hand make the familiar circles she did when she rubbed his stomach to help him settle it or get to sleep.

"How am I doing, honey?" Ginny asked as she started caressing Harry's sides where his stomach was stretched.

"Brilliant, Lily seems to be enjoying it. She seems to be calmer now."

Ginny brought her hands up to the top of the bump that was Harry's stomach. She turned and wiped the oil from her hands and picked up the jar that had the scrub inside.

"I got this, it's supposed to help the skin with stretching and it nurtures the skin. Shanti recommended it."

She unscrewed the lid and dipped her finger in the jar. She spread the scrub in her hands and then began rubbing it on Harry's stomach.

"That actually feels good," Harry mumbled sleepily.

Ginny rubbed the scrub down the sides of Harry's bulging stomach and all over the baby bump.

"I read somewhere that sometimes in pregnancy, the belly button opens up. I know mine didn't and yours looks like it didn't either."

Harry moved his hand up and ran his finger across his belly button, feeling relived when his finger dipped into the hole. Shanti had explained to him that in the event his belly button did open up, he would have surgery to fix it, a fact that scared Harry. He still remembered the horror that was his appendectomy.

He watched Ginny wipe her hands again and then reach for a tube of some kind.

"What's that?" Harry asked, giving her puzzled look.

"This is the cream for stretch marks"

Harry looked at the tube. At a quick glance one would think it was a tube of toothpaste, but really it was a tube of cream like many of the ones in Ginny's first aid kit. She had taken to making sure she had the kit fully stocked because she never knew when her three boys (Harry included) would get hurt.

Ginny unscrewed the cap and the squeezed some of the cream in her hands. She rubbed her hands together and then rubbed the cream on Harry's stomach where she found stretch marks. Harry felt the cream work almost instantly. It felt cold to him at first and then it was tingling.

"Thanks for this, Gin."

Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry's forehead and moved down and captured his lips with hers.

"You're welcome."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You are _completely_ mental!"

"Harry it needs to be done!"

"Why? Why is it important to be done now?"

"What's wrong with doing it?"

"It will hurt, Gin! I know it won't last for long, but I can't help it this time."

"Harry, this needs to be done. Either I do it or Shanti does or one of her nurses".

"…Okay."

"Ready?" Harry nodded. "One….two….three!"

"OW!"

Harry laid on his bed as Ginny placed and removed wax strips on his stomach. He had grown used to the hair below his navel bushier than normal and the hairy line in the middle of his stomach that formed when his pregnancy progressed.

Ginny had explained if they were going to do a cesarean section, Harry's abdomen would need to be hairless. Shanti recommended starting now removing some of the hair to help the preparation for the cesarean go quicker. Shanti had told Ginny at their next appointment that was scheduled for next week that they would discuss the options they had to deliver Lily.

"What are you thinking about?" Ginny asked when Harry was quiet all of a sudden.

"Nothing, just thinking about how lucky I am because I married you." Harry smiled up at her as she smiled back.

Ginny started rubbing lotion on Harry's stomach to help nurture the skin from where Ginny had pulled off the wax strips. She helped pull Harry up to sit up in the bed and he headed to the bathroom while she cleaned up the mess the hair removal had caused. When Harry came out of the bathroom, he headed to the door to head downstairs.

Molly and Arthur still had the boys and Harry and Ginny were planning one last date night in before Lily arrived.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny sat on her side of the bed watching Harry sleep. She'd taken to keeping the pregnancy-safe stomach soother on his side of the bed for the middle-of-the-night gas pains. She looked at her husband. The nine months were almost over since he would eight months pregnant in the coming week.

She placed her hand on his stomach, feeling her daughter move under her hand.

She couldn't thank Harry enough for doing this for them. She knew that he was open to the idea of him carrying a baby, but agreeing to it was a whole another story. She gently rubbed her hand across Harry's stomach.

The last eight months had been a rollercoaster ride, one that she knew Harry wouldn't want to change one thing about. She knew that Harry tried to give her anything and nearly everything she wanted. She recalled his face when Shanti told them the baby was a girl. She knew Harry wanted a daughter as much as she did.

She went to sleep that night dreaming of a baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket, nestled in her father's arms.


	8. A Light at the End of the Tunnel

A Long Nine Months Chapter 8-A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Ron came through the kitchen door of the Burrow laughing his head off. Hermione, Ginny and Molly all looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"What is so funny, Ron?" Molly asked, standing near the stove with her hands on her hips. James, Albus and Rose were in the living room playing when the adults in the kitchen heard the floo activate and the kids say "Daddy!" and "Uncle Harry!"

A moment later Harry entered the kitchen.

"Ron, it's not funny," Harry said, exasperated.

"Come on, it was kind of funny. Everyone in the office was laughing." And Ron burst into another laughing fit.

"What is he laughing at?" Hermione asked. "And what was so funny?"

"I wore two different shoes to work today because I can't see my feet," Harry mumbled.

Everyone's eyes, minus Ron's, went to Harry's feet. Sure enough on one foot was black shoe and the left was a brown shoe.

Molly had to hide her amusement and Hermione and Ginny burst into laughter along with Ron.

Harry turned to his wife. "Thanks for telling me, honey; I figured you could have told me before I left for work."

The laugher continued for another minute or two.

"You know this isn't funny," Harry muttered as he lowered himself into a chair next to Ginny.

"Not as funny as watching him getting out of a chair," Ron muttered

At this point Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Molly were all laughing, Molly for a different reason.

"Harry, these things happen when you are approaching the end of your pregnancy".

Harry groaned and laid his head down on his arms. He felt Ginny rubbing his back.

"Harry, are you okay?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded and lifted his head. He made a mental note to thank Shanti during his next appointment for suggesting an early leave from work. Harry actually worked three weeks past his original planned date to take off. That day was his last day until September.

"I'm just sick of being pregnant."

Ginny smiled sympathetically. "I know, sweetheart." She got up to help her mother prepare dinner. Molly had invited Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione over for dinner so they could get a chance to talk without the chaos that was the rest of the family and since Hermione and Harry were getting closer to their due dates.

Harry looked at Hermione. "I must sound like a whiney baby to you. Here I am complaining and you haven't complained once."

"That's because this is my second baby, Harry." Hermione reached over and grabbed Harry's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "This is the first time you had to carry a baby so even though it's your third, the pregnancy is most likely mimicking a first pregnancy."

Harry knew Hermione was right. He recalled Ginny's pregnancy with James. The fact that HE survived the nine month ordeal was nothing short of a miracle. Mainly it was because Ginny's temper was worse than Harry had ever seen it. He managed to avoid getting Bat Bogey hexed more times than he could count.

However, with this pregnancy, Harry's infamous temper that was known at Hogwarts and the Auror department had gotten worse with each passing month. There wasn't a person in the Auror department that Harry had told off one time or another.

Ginny had lost count of the times when Harry came home in a foul mood during the pregnancy.

"So, how does it feel to be off work for a while?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Ask me again on Sunday and I'll tell you" he mumbled, knowing his sons would cause him to want to pull his hair out.

Molly sat down the salad bowl and sat down at her place at the table while Ginny and Ron took the kids upstairs to wash up.

Ginny returned with James and Albus and placed Albus in his high chair and James in his seat across from his brother. Ron was next to Rose and Ginny was next to Albus. Their spouses were across from them with James in between Harry and Hermione.

Molly's spaghetti and meatballs were a hit with the kids and the adults. Ginny, Hermione and Molly discussed nursery decorating and what each girl had planned. Harry and Ron discussed what Ron's new duty was in the office since Harry would be gone from the office. Shanti had threatened many times to put Harry on bed rest, something that Harry _AND _Ginny didn't want.

Arthur silently observed his family, and looked at Hermione and Harry. There was a possibility that these two new grandbabies were going to be the last of the grandchildren. He turned and smiled at his youngest son and daughter. They turned out really well considering they grew up during the war. Arthur then looked at his grandchildren, smiling at Rose's attempts to stab a meatball, James slurping the noodles, and Albus forgoing the fork his mother gave him and eating the meal with his hands, thus getting sauce all over his face and hands.

He met Molly's eyes from across the table and they both thought the same thing. How did they get lucky and blessed with the family they had?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Baby Watch round one began when Hermione passed thirty-six weeks. Hermione walked out of Shanti's office and met Harry and Ginny in the waiting room.

"Well?" Ginny asked.

"He'll be here soon, so we're still on Baby Watch." She turned to Harry who looked uncomfortable as all get out.

"You okay?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Just peachy," he muttered sarcastically.

"Don't mind him, he hasn't been sleeping much," Ginny told her sister-in-law.

Harry hadn't been sleeping much because Lily had become more active and started using his bladder as a trampoline, increasing his trips to the bathroom.

"I can sympathize with you; I know what that's like. I'm meeting Ron for lunch, so I'll see you Sunday."

"Bye, Hermione!" Ginny said as Harry waved bye to her.

Harry and Ginny weren't waiting much longer until the welcome witch called them back. Ginny helped Harry out of the chair and he waddled to the welcome witch, following her to the exam room, with Ginny behind him.

"Change into the gown on the table and Shanti will be in shortly," the witch said as she shut the door.

Harry took off his T-shirt, tossing it to Ginny, and slipped on the gown. He then slipped off his pants and tossed them to Ginny before jerking on the scrub pants.

"That's the first time I've seen a gray gown. They're usually green," Ginny commented as Harry climbed up on the table.

They sat in silence for a while until Harry said, "Gin, I'm sorry if I wasn't sympathetic enough when you were pregnant with the boys."

Ginny got up from her chair in the corner and walked over to the table, Harry's feet rubbing against her leg.

"Don't have doubt that you were caring enough when I was pregnant. You were. I couldn't have asked for better." She wrapped an arm around his neck, cupping the back of his head with her hand and holding his hand with the other.

"Thanks, Ginny," Harry said sincerely.

Ginny kissed his forehead before returning to her seat.

A knock came at the door and Shanti came in. "Hello, how are we doing today?"

"Good, I'm tired and she's been using my bladder as a trampoline, doubling my trips to the bathroom."

"That's all normal – you're nearing the end."

"So will it be like this until I deliver?" Harry asked, hoping to hear a no.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Shanti checked Harry's blood pressure and other vitals and as she did this she asked when they would like to discuss their options for delivery.

"Can we discuss that at the end?" Ginny asked, knowing Harry wanted to get the examination out of the way.

"Yes we can," Shanti replied and asked Harry to lie down on the table as she pulled up the gown. She waved her wand and the measuring tape came flying and measured the length of the baby in Harry's abdomen.

"She's going to be a tad shorter than the boys were at birth. James was twenty one inches long and Albus was nineteen. So far, she's about seventeen inches, but she might grow between now and when she's born" the healer explained as she drummed her fingers on Harry's lower abdomen, trying to figure out if she was feeling the baby's feet or head. She did the same drumming on top of the bump that was Harry's abdomen and tried to figure out if the baby was feet first or head first.

"She should be making a move to be head down soon."

"What happens if she isn't?" Ginny asked.

"She would be considered a breech baby. The position she is in now is a footling breech. A footling breech is where one or both feet are poised to come out first. Both of her feet are at the bottom."

"Is that the only breech position?" Ginny asked. She didn't know about this since James and Albus both were head down at the time of delivery.

"No. There's a Frank breech, which is bottom first with feet up near the head. There's a complete breech, which is bottom first with legs crossed Indian-style. In rare cases, a baby will be in they call a transverse lie. The baby is sideways in the uterus or in this case, uterus like sack, with his or her shoulder, back, or arm presenting first."

Harry finally found his voice when he asked "What happens if the baby is breeched?"

Shanti paused for a moment before she explained.

"Babies who are still breeched near term are unlikely to turn on their own, but there is a chance she will. If she doesn't by the time you deliver, I'll do what they call an external cephalic version. I will do this by applying pressure to your abdomen and manually manipulating the baby into a head-down position."

"Sounds like it will hurt," Harry muttered. Ginny moved to the chair next to the exam table and took Harry's hand, giving a light squeeze.

"It will be uncomfortable, but there are also risks in doing an ECV. The baby's heart rate could drop and the placenta could separate from the wall of the uterus like sack we implanted in your belly. A C-section is the only option if that happens."

Shanti started pressing on Harry's abdomen, checking to see if the baby was in the breech position she figured the baby was in. She was right when she found the baby's feet down in Harry's lower abdomen and the head in his upper abdomen.

"Because she is breeched I want to see you every week. We'll do an ultrasound to check on the baby's position and see where we stand."

Shanti waved her wand over Harry's protruding stomach, and the sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the tension-filled room.

When Shanti cancelled the spell and ran a few more scans, she told Harry he could sit up.

"Okay, birthing options. Believe it or not but some of my male pregnancy patients have delivered naturally."

Harry looked at the healer with shocked expression "Seriously?"

"Yes. What I would do if that's the route you want to go is I will make an incision in your lower abdomen and create a birth canal and you could try to push the baby out. If that fails, I will close up the incision and move you to the OR and perform a cesarean."

Ginny asked "How would you do pain management?"

"Same way we did with you. It would be injected into the IV and if needed we would give you potions."

Harry looked and Ginny and then back to the Healer. "Would I feel anything if we did the cesarean?"

"No, I would place a numbing spell on your abdomen and will make the incision than. You might feel some pressure from where I pull the baby out".

"Okay" Harry replied shakily.

Shanti placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.

"It's not as painful as it sounds. I'm sure Ginny would tell you since a C-section is how we delivered Albus."

Harry turned to his wife, who laced her fingers with his and gave his hand a light squeeze. They looked at each other as if they were having a mental conversation. Finally Ginny spoke up.

"Okay, I think we have a birth plan then"

"Great. I'll see you next week. Make an appointment with the welcome witch on your way out."

Shanti left Harry and Ginny alone in the exam room until Ginny left to make the appointment while Harry got dressed. Once the appointment for next week was made, they flooed home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny sat on her bed, Indian style, flipping through the photo album she was using to document Harry's pregnancy.

In the front was a picture of Harry after they found out they was pregnant. Her eyes zoomed into his flat stomach. She knew that it would get back to that one day soon, after Lily was born and Harry lost the weight he had gained. Shanti mentioned to her during her yearly checkup a month ago that if the skin around Harry's abdomen didn't go back, she would recommend a healer who would take care of the extra skin. Something similar to what a muggle would call a tummy tuck.

It was still considered surgery since he would use his wand to remove the extra skin from Harry's stomach and they would put Harry to sleep to do the procedure. She didn't know how open Harry would be to that. Shanti also said that if Harry and her decided they was done having children and was positive that Lily would be their last one than when she removed the sack, she would remove the extra skin than with the other healer's assistance.

She continued to flip through the photo album, watching as Harry's stomach got bigger. She paused when she came to the one she took when James and Albus climbed on the couch and talked to the baby in their daddy's belly. She then came the copies of every ultrasound Harry had. She smiled when she saw the last picture. It was of her and Harry and Hermione and Ron. Harry and Hermione were in the middle and Ginny was on Harry's right with Ron on Hermione's left.

The four adults smiled at the camera as the two ladies shaded their eyes from the sun. It was taken in the garden at Ron and Hermione's during Rosie's birthday party last month.

Ginny smiled as she closed the album and with a wave of her wand, it returned to its place in the downstairs bookshelf were all the family pictures were kept. Her attention turned to the bathroom door when it opened and Harry stepped out.

"Gin, what was the cesarean like?" Harry asked out of the blue. Ginny looked at him and the look on his face made her recall how scared he was before he was taken into surgery when he had his appendectomy. Having never had surgery or better yet, surgery the magical way, it had been understandable for Harry be scared, despite the fact he had been sixteen years old.

Ginny thought for a moment. She didn't feel a thing when they delivered Albus. Maybe a pull or tug here or there, but nothing to say it was extremely painful. She knew despite the assurances from Shanti that everything will be okay and the delivery would go smoothly, Harry still had anxiety about the whole thing.

She looked at her husband, who had an extremely high pain tolerance and was referred to as her brave Auror. But there were occasions when the pain would be so bad that Harry would beg for something to help.

"You'll feel some pressure, maybe a tug or pull here or there, but it there is not a lot of pain involved."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked feeling scared just thinking about the procedure. "What about when they make the…?" Harry didn't continue but Ginny knew what he was asking.

"That's where the pressure and tugging come from, the incision."

She crawled over to where Harry was sitting and wrapped her arms around him. He laid his head on her shoulder.

"It'll all be worth it once you're holding our precious little girl." Ginny placed her hand on Harry's stomach, smiling when she felt Lily moved under hand. "And I will be there. I promise you it's not so bad."

They sat in silence until….

"That ECV sounds scary and painful," Harry muttered.

Ginny's heart broke at the scared expression on Harry's face. She kissed his forehead and rubbed his arm.

"Let's hope she turns so you won't have to undergo that."

Harry soon laid down in the bed with Ginny curled against him. He felt her hand go under his shirt and start to rub soothing circles on Harry's stomach. The quick massage didn't only help Harry fall asleep, but it helped Lily relax as well.

Soon his light snores filled the room. Ginny waved her wand and the lights in their bedroom went off. She snuggled against Harry and fell asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Baby Watch round one was still in effect the following Sunday morning. Shanti had told Ron and Hermione that Hugo could come anytime. Since then, anytime Ron would floo the Burrow, Molly would rush around the house to get ready to leave for the hospital, only for Ron to ask her if she and Arthur could keep Rosie or if she had a casserole fixed. Molly's nerves so were nearly shot that she taken to watching Harry and Hermione closely when they were at the Burrow for any signs of labor. Although, she didn't know what to watch for with Harry, except for signs of pain.

It wasn't until one night, three weeks later, at midnight, that Ron flooed the Burrow in a panic with Rosie. Hermione had gone into labor. Molly had taken the sleeping toddler from Ron and sent him back to Hermione. She knew Hermione's mother, Jane, was staying with them temporarily until she found a new place to live. Jane had stayed with her daughter while Ron went to get his parents.

Arthur flooed Harry and Ginny's first, not needing to go far because Ginny was in the kitchen getting another stomach soother for Harry. He told her that Hermione was in labor and they needed to head to St. Mungo's.

Ginny went upstairs, gave Harry the stomach soother and gathered up the bag of toys she prepared in the event of Harry or Hermione going into labor. She managed to get her three boys up and dressed despite Harry's slight stomach upset and they headed to St. Mungo's.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Shanti shook her head as she picked up Hermione's file. She had been a healer and midwife for over ten years, yet she never saw a couple that bickered like Ron and Hermione. Jane stood off the side with Rosie in her arms.

Ginny was standing beside Molly, who was next to Jane. Jane would accompany Hermione and Ron in the delivery room. Since the death of her husband just before Hermione and Ron got married, she thought she would never find joy in her life again. But when Hermione and Ron announced after three years of trying Hermione was finally pregnant, that all changed.

Now the little girl she was holding, who looked like her mother and had her father's red hair and blue eyes, was the joy of Jane's life. Words couldn't describe how she felt when she watched her only daughter give her grandchildren.

Shanti looked at Ginny.

"Déjà view, huh? It's like a floor show," the healer muttered to Ginny. Ron and Hermione were known as the bickering couple in the maternity ward since Rose was born.

"I still don't know how Harry could stand this," Molly motioned to her son and daughter-in-law.

When Shanti and a mediwitch began pushing Hermione's wheelchair to Labor and Delivery, Jane handed her granddaughter to Molly.

Rose instantly woke up started crying for Ron and Hermione. When she seen Arthur come up behind Molly, she reached for him shrieking, "Granddad!"

Arthur took the crying toddler and managed to calm her down enough that she was quietly whimpering. After Molly fished out her pink bunny "Pinky" from her bag, she managed to calm down more.

Since the day Rose was born, it was Arthur who could calm her down just by holding her and gently rocking her. It was needless to say that of all the granddaughters Arthur and Molly had, Rosie was the "granddad's girl" of the bunch. She was also, out of all her uncles, closest to her Uncle Harry. He had gotten the favorite uncle title by simply playing with her and letting her crawl and climb all over him. Rosie was where his wish for a daughter had come from.

Ginny, Molly and Arthur all headed back to the waiting room. Arthur gently sat down, so as not to disturb his granddaughter, in the seat next to Molly. Molly picked up her basket and started knitting her Christmas sweaters and by the size of the one she was working on, it was for the new grandbaby who was about to make his entrance into the world.

Ginny found James and Albus on the floor next to Victoire, Dominique, Molly, Lucy and Freddie on a blanket with pillows and more blankets. James had Paddy, his stuff black dog, and Albus had his stuffed hippogriff named Buckbeak. She had lost count the amount of times since he gotten it at Christmas that Harry would either lay on it or sat on it, causing the hard beak to dig into his skin.

She looked up, doing a small circle of the room and found her husband sprawled out in one of the chairs in a corner. He wasn't too far off from the rest of the family, just close enough that if he turned his head to the right, stretching a bit, he could see the boys.

Ginny approached him and gently snaked her hands under his armpits and pulled him up and sat down in the chair. Fleur brought over a pillow and a blanket.

With Harry's head in her lap, Ginny reached into her bag and pulled out the novel she been reading.

If this birth was going to be anything like when Rose was born it would be a while.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry laid sprawled out in a row of chairs with his head in Ginny's lap. He had taken his stomach soother and fallen asleep an hour after arriving. The waiting room was full of the Weasley family. Rosie was sleeping in her grandfather's arms because she had started crying when Ron and Hermione went down the hall to the maternity ward. The rest of the kids were either on the big blanket in the corner or in their parents' laps.

Molly was knitting a Christmas jumper while Arthur snoozed beside her with Rosie in his arms. Bill had found an ottoman and stretched out in a chair asleep. Fleur was knitting her traditional hats for the girls. She was working on one that would most likely be Lily's. Charlie was unable to come, but asked to be kept updated on how things were going.

Percy and George were quietly talking while their wives flipped through a Witch Weekly, occasionally looking over at the kids to see if they were still sleeping.

Ginny was reading her book, absentmindedly running her fingers through Harry's hair. He hadn't moved or woken up since he fell asleep. He didn't budge when Ginny lifted him up to sit down in the chair.

The hours ticked by slowly and there was no news about Hermione or the baby. Harry had slept for an hour and an half when he woke up to use the bathroom. When he returned to the waiting room, Ginny had gotten up to stretch and check on the boys.

Harry curled back up in the chairs. Ginny conjured a pillow and placed it on Harry's back. When Harry laid down again, he felt Lily kick.

Ginny placed her hand on his stomach and started to slowly rub his swollen belly.

Harry looked up at her and Ginny smiled back at him.

The doors to the waiting room opened and Ron stepped in.

As one the family stood up waiting for Harry and Ginny to get up before he spoke.

"Eight pounds, eleven ounces, twenty inches long. Mummy and baby are doing fine."

The family broke out into cheers, not loud enough to wake the kids.

"What's my grandson's name?" Molly asked.

"Hugo," Ron answered as he approached his dad. He asked his father, "Do you want to meet your namesake?"

Arthur looked at Ron in shock. "What?" he exclaimed.

"His name is Hugo Arthur Weasley. Hermione wanted to honor her dad, but Robert didn't go with Hugo, but Arthur did."

Arthur handed Rosie to Molly and hugged Ron. "I'm honored, son."

Ginny approached Molly to take Rosie to allow the grandparents to visit first. After Arthur, Molly and Jane left to see the new addition, Rosie walked with Ginny back to where Harry was sitting.

"Uncle Harry?" the little girl asked.

"What's up, munchkin?" he replied.

"When is the baby in your tummy coming out?"

"Soon, peanut, very soon."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

After seeing Hermione and Hugo and talking with Shanti about the next appointment, Ginny flooed home to get the car and drove back to St. Mungo's. They were going to take Jane and Rosie home to Ron and Hermione's and Jane didn't feel comfortable about flooing. That and James and Albus had fallen back asleep and Harry was dead on his feet.

Ginny drove to St. Mungo's and parked in the nearby car park. She parked and entered St. Mungo's and returned to Hermione's room.

Hugo was a splitting image of his father. Blue eyes, red hair and all. When the rest of the family had left for the night, Harry, James and Albus were the ones remaining in the waiting room, apparently waiting on Ginny.

Ron had thought once about flooing Harry and the boys home himself but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Hermione in case Ginny got back with the car before he returned.

Jane picked up a sleeping Rosie and her bag. Ginny had packed up the bags she brought for the boys, leaving the bag with nappies and wipes for Harry. Jane kissed her daughter and new grandson and hugged Ron before following Ginny out the door.

Jane followed Ginny to the waiting room where she found her sons awake and quietly playing in the corner. Harry was snoozing in a nearby chair.

Ginny motioned for the boys to come to her and woke up Harry.

"Ready to go home?"

Harry got up, picking up Albus and carrying him to the car.

"I drove my car" Ginny informed her husband. Ginny's car was an SUV, a mom car. Because they had Teddy a lot and would often drive to the muggle attractions, they required a vehicle with a third row. Ginny placed James back there with Harry and Albus and Rosie in the second row, allowing Jane to sit up front with her.

On the ride to Ron and Hermione's Jane asked Ginny about how Harry was doing. Hermione had told her mother about what happened after Albus's birth and how Ginny wouldn't be able to carry another baby, ending the conversation telling her that Harry agreed to carry the baby.

Ginny told her about how excited they were that the baby was a girl. After the passing of her husband, Jane had gotten a standing invitation to the Burrow for Sunday dinners, Christmas, Easter, or anytime.

It hadn't surprised Hermione how well Arthur and Molly had gotten along with her parents, even if Arthur could be a little _too_ eager at times.

When they reached the two story brick house, Ginny pulled in to the driveway beside Jane's car and behind Hermione's. It was a family joke that Ginny, Hermione, and Audrey had picked similar vehicles. Hermione had picked a wagon, while Audrey had picked a sedan.

Jane opened the door and got out while Ginny got out Rosie's bags so Jane could carry Rosie into the house.

"Thanks for the ride, Ginny!" Jane said as she walked in the house behind Ginny.

"No problem! If you need anything, Harry's mobile and the house number are on the fridge. I have three sleeping boys in the car so I'd better get home."

"Good night!" Jane called as Ginny walked out the door. Ginny replied with a wave and a good night.

The rest of the drive home was quiet with only the sounds of Harry's snores in the back.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny had read somewhere about activities that pregnant mums can do to involve their children in their pregnancy. She had looked into the belly casting and immediately forgotten that idea. It wasn't the mess as much as it was getting Harry to agree to it and plus, what would she want to have a cast of Harry's pregnant belly for?

She moved on to another idea she had overheard a woman at a previous healer's appointment with Harry talking about: her kids finger-painting on her belly. Ginny asked Hermione about it and later the same day Ginny had everything she needed to know about painting with kids and pregnant mum, or this case dad.

She went to the store for the paint and came home. She talked to Harry about it and since he was also thinking of ways to involve the boys, he agreed.

Ginny had Harry lying on the floor in the family room on old towels and in old clothes that Ginny didn't care about getting paint on. She dressed the boys in old clothes and herself in old shirt and shorts.

"Okay boys, stick your hands in the paint color of your choice and then stick your hand on Daddy's tummy."

Ginny showed them what they could do. She stuck her whole right hand in the red paint and her fingertips of the blue with the other. She then placed her hand flat on Harry's belly and then moved her fingertips along the middle of Harry's bulging stomach.

"Merlin's beard, why must it be so cold?" Harry asked, shivering.

Ginny muttered that it wasn't cold and helped Albus paint Harry's stomach.

"Where can I stick my hand Ginny?" Teddy asked. Ginny had decided to include Teddy in painting Harry's stomach. Even thought he lived with Andromeda most of the time, he was at Harry and Ginny's a lot.

"Right here?" She pointed to a spot low on Harry's abdomen.

"This is actually kind of fun!" Ginny said and the boys agreed.

"For whom?" Harry asked.

"Here" Ginny picked up a paper plate that had green paint in it and stuck Harry's hand down in it. She then placed Harry's hand on his side, she repeated the process on Harry's left side so on both of his sides, he had a handprint.

"Having fun now?" Ginny asked. Harry sighed and laid there allowing the boys to paint his stomach.

After the boys finished, Ginny stuck her fingertips in the red paint and made a heart around Harry's belly.

Once they were done, Ginny helped Harry sit up. She had used a rubber band to hold the shirt up, thus exposing Harry's bulging stomach to the room. Teddy was behind Harry and the boys were on either side of him. Ginny snapped a few pictures before she helped Harry stand up. She did the weekly picture to see how much more Harry's stomach had grown since last week.

Ginny watched Harry waddle to the stairs and head to the master bathroom. She turned and looked at the calendar and noticed Harry's due date was a week away. Lily could come any time.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry laid in bed later that night, running his hands along the bulge of his stomach. He could feel Lily move under his hand. Ginny had long since been asleep, having went to sleep after she soothingly rubbed Harry's belly in hopes Lily would calm down enough for him to fall asleep.

But Harry had woken up because of a dream he had. He dreamed of the birth. He dreamed that they didn't numb him enough and he felt everything. He dreamed that something had gone wrong and Lily didn't make it. He also dreamed of spending hours pushing the baby out of the canal Shanti made but being unable to deliver, causing him to continue life with a baby in his belly.

He looked up at the ceiling, watching the shadows from the trees outside their bedroom window.

He soon let himself relax and he eventually went to sleep, dreaming of a healthy baby, wrapped in a pink bundle, red hair and brown eyes like her mother, drifting to sleep in his arms.


	9. And Baby Makes Five

A Long Nine Months Chapter 9 - And Baby Makes Five

Baby Watch round two continued into the next week. Ron had warned Ginny about Flooing the Burrow because anytime Ron did before Hugo was born, Molly would prepare to head to the hospital. Ginny had seen this firsthand when she'd Flooed the Burrow to ask her mum to take the boys.

Molly had also taken to watching Harry like a hawk when he was at the Burrow.

With Harry's due date getting close, the family took turns keeping the boys overnight so if Harry did go into labor during the night, Ginny wouldn't have to worry about finding someone to watch the boys.

But Lily's arrival would come sooner than they thought…

Harry woke up early the morning before his due date, with cramps in his stomach. He pulled his shirt up and placed his hand on it. The sharp cramping he was feeling started to go away. Harry let out a deep breath and counted. Twenty minutes later another cramp rolled through his belly. This occurred for an hour and a half.

"Ow," Harry moaned. It was then that he noticed the back pain. He started the breathing exercises he remembered from when Ginny gave birth to James. His hand remained on his stomach, rubbing lightly. No one could have prepared him for this.

Harry turned to lie on his back. He looked at the clock on his side of the bed. His contractions were twenty minutes apart. He debated on whether or not to wake up Ginny. But when another, stronger contraction ripped through his belly twenty minutes later, he couldn't help but moan.

"Ow, Godric this hurts," he muttered.

Harry felt Ginny's hand on his stomach. His moaning in pain woke her up.

"Relax, sweetie, let me check something."

Harry obeyed her with a pained expression on his face. He felt Ginny's hand on his stomach, pressing into different locations. His once-soft stomach was rock hard, a sign to Ginny that Harry was in the early stages of labor.

"I'm going to call Shanti; we might need to go to St. Mungo's. How far apart are they?" Ginny asked.

"Twenty minutes."

"How are you feeling?" she asked, rubbing his stomach.

"If I had any Ministry secrets I'd talk," he muttered.

"It's show time." Harry laid there as another contraction ripped through his abdomen, stronger than the one before.

"Here comes another one." He started breathing in and out his nose. "God, this hurts. Why didn't someone tell me that labor was this bad?"

Ginny gazed empathetically at her husband, rubbing his cheek.

"It hurts. I don't think I can do this," he confessed to his wife.

Ginny rubbed his back and belly soothingly, murmuring comforting words in an attempt to ease him.

When the contraction stopped Harry took a few deep breaths.

"I'll go see if I can call Shanti and find out when we need to head to the hospital."

"Okay," Harry muttered. Ginny went downstairs and Flooed Shanti.

"Good morning, Shanti Willis's office. How may I help you?" the Welcome Witch answered.

"Hello, I'm Ginny Potter, I'm Harry's wife. I need to speak with Shanti."

"Okay, hold on please." Ginny waited a few seconds before Shanti's head appeared in the fire.

"Hello, Ginny, what's going on?" Shanti asked.

"Harry's having contractions. When do we need to head to St. Mungo's?" Ginny asked the healer.

"How far apart are they?"

"Twenty minutes." Ginny recalled when she was having James that she had to wait until they were ten minutes before she and Harry headed to St. Mungo's.

"How long?"

"Hour and a half before I woke up and I've been up for a half hour so about two hours."

Shanti looked pensive before she replied, "Head to the hospital in an hour to an hour and a half. She's stuck in there until then, so you don't have to worry about her arriving before you get here. If Harry starts to complain of sharp stomach pain, get him here immediately."

"Okay, we'll see you in about hour or so."

Ginny disconnected the Floo and went back upstairs. Harry was still lying in the bed.

"We have about an hour or so before we need to get the hospital."

"Okay," Harry muttered. He got up with Ginny's help and headed to the bathroom where he had a shower and allowed Ginny to remove the hair that had grown back on his stomach.

Ginny hopped in the shower for a quick wash. When she got out she got together a small breakfast for herself and Harry.

She brought breakfast upstairs so Harry wouldn't be spending the morning climbing the stairs. Ginny would time the contractions and keep track of how long they last and how often they occurred.

When the hour passed, she knew that she needed Shanti's assistance with pain management. There was nothing more she could do.

"Ready to go to St. Mungo's and have this baby?"

Harry nodded and let Ginny help him up. She helped him change clothes and grabbed his bag and the bag with her things and her purse.

She collected her stuff and went out to the car, the preferred method of transport for those in labor. She threw her stuff in the back and started the car, then returned upstairs and told Harry they would have to drive.

"Let's go." Ginny helped him up off the bed and they walked downstairs and exited the house. Ginny locked up the house and helped Harry to the car.

They drove into London and parked in the car park near St. Mungo's. They entered the hospital and approached the Welcome Witch.

"Harry Potter, Shanti Willis's patient," Ginny informed the witch as another contraction ripped through Harry and he winced.

The little old witch waved her wand at a file cabinet and Harry's thick file came flying into her hand.

"Follow me." The Welcome Witch led them to a room, where she handed Harry a gown and told him to change.

Harry waddled into the bathroom and slipped the gown on, albeit with some difficulty. He came out and found Ginny had turned down the bed and had the balls she had used when she was in labor with James.

"I was going to ask if you put them in that bag." Harry asked, motioning a hand to the tennis balls.

"Yes, because we might need them."

Shanti entered with a knock on the door. "Hello, how far apart are they now?"

"Seventeen minutes."

Shanti nodded and asked Harry to laid back in the bed. Harry laid back into the pillows as Shanti pulled up the gown.

"I'm going to attach some discs to your stomach. These are called sensors. One will monitor Lily's heartbeat, one will monitor her movements and the last one will monitor contractions. You can watch the monitor on this screen," Shanti explained, pointing to a screen on the left hand side of the bed.

Using three belts to keep the sensors in place, Shanti hooked Harry up the monitors. The steady beeps of the baby's heart instantly filled the room. Ginny smiled hearing her daughter, but she grimaced when she saw the contraction timer reset.

She wasn't the only one. "_Ah!_" Harry moaned into the pillow he was holding with a vice grip. Ginny rubbed his back and muttered words of comfort.

"Breathe, Harry. In and out and in and out," Ginny soothed in time to his breaths as she rubbed his back in circles.

"Sixteen minutes," Harry muttered, glancing at the timer. "Do I want to know how long I've been in labor?"

Ginny smiled empathetically and said, "About four hours." Harry groaned in response.

Shanti returned a minute later and began an IV in Harry's left hand, instantly injecting some pain management potions.

"Okay, now I'm going to press on your lower abdomen to get a feel of how the sack is doing and it will determine when I can make a birth canal. It may feel uncomfortable so bear with me."

Harry nodded and braced himself. Shanti pulled up Harry's gown and pressed on his lower abdomen, feeling the sack under her fingers. She could tell it was softening and needed to soften some more before they would create a birth canal. Harry made a face when he felt the pressure Shanti was adding to his lower abdomen.

"Okay, looks like we've got a long way to go."

Harry whined.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Molly Weasley was a woman on a mission. As soon she got the message that Baby Watch round two was over, she woke up Arthur, got her grandsons up, and laid them on the couch, ready to go. She returned to her bedroom where she changed into daywear and grabbed the bags of toys and entertainment Ginny had dropped off when she'd brought the boys to the Burrow. Arthur took James and she took Albus, and together they Flooed to St. Mungo's.

She was prepared for Harry's temper to be flying and Ginny trying to calm him. What surprised her was how quiet the maternity ward was. She finally reached Harry's room and knocked on the door. She heard Ginny call her in and she gently opened the door.

Harry was in the bed, curled into a ball. Ginny mouthed "contraction" and Molly nodded and walked over to her son-in-law's bedside, helping Ginny rub his back.

"Some warning would have been nice," he muttered.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"Someone could have warned me about how painful this was going to be. How much longer is it going to be before she's born?"

Ginny looked softly at her husband, her heart breaking at the whine in his voice. Harry was her strong and brave Auror. The man had an extremely high pain tolerance and to hear him complain about pain was something new for her.

"It will be over soon, dear," Molly soothed. That was when she heard the beeping and looked at Ginny with a smile. "Is that my grandbaby I hear?"

Ginny nodded and pointed out the machines that monitored the baby's heartbeat, the contractions, and Harry's vitals.

"How far apart are the contractions?" Molly asked her daughter.

"Fifteen minutes." Ginny moved her hand through the opening in the back of the gown Harry was wearing and rubbed his stomach.

"They've been fifteen minutes for close to two hours now," Harry whined, his voice getting quite high-pitched.

Shanti came in to check on him. "Still fifteen minutes?" Ginny nodded.

"Harry, you could walk around if you want to."

"Seriously?" Harry asked.

"Ginny walked the halls while we waited for James to be born. It's going to be a while before we can create a birth canal. Maybe an hour to an hour and a half and that doesn't mean that you will start pushing. That will be another hour or so, depending on how long it will take for the passageway to open."

"Okay." Ginny and Shanti helped Harry out of bed. Ginny helped Harry slip into some pajama bottoms and slipped another gown on to cover his bare back.

Together they began to walk out of the room and down the hall, passing Healers and nurses bustling around and catching the occasional wizard speaking backward with an octopus nose. As they reached the final stretch to the family waiting room they heard familiar voices within.

"It's going to a long time, isn't it?" Audrey asked, sounding somewhat bored.

"I wonder how he's been doing. Molly said that Ginny mentioned something about contractions when she called us. I hope he's doing okay," Fleur said.

"He'll be fine," said Ron.

"But why we are here when it could be hours before she's born? I wasn't there for the take off, why do I need to be here for the landing?" asked Percy.

"Where do you think they found the boys, under a mulberry bush?" Audrey replied dryly, shaking her head at her husband. "Honestly, Perce, I don't know _what_ you're complaining about. We sat here for _hours_ waiting on the others," Audrey informed her husband, shaking her head.

A voice from the hall caused them all to jump.

"And need I remind you I was in the middle of playing hide-and-seek with Teddy and Victoire when you and Audrey came in the room and started shagging on the bed?"

Every head turned to Harry, who was leaning in the doorway with Ginny trying to keep from laughing with a hand over her mouth. Percy and Audrey went pure scarlet.

After talking with the family for awhile, Harry and Ginny trekked back towards Harry's room. On the way, another contraction ripped through him. He stopped in his tracked, holding on the railing on the wall, a sharp gasp ripping from his lips.

Ginny rubbed his back as she coached him thought the contraction, timing them as she did.

"Fourteen minutes," she informed her husband.

Harry and Ginny slowly made their way back to Harry's room. Shanti would be by to check on Harry's progress and see how much longer it would be before she could make the birth canal.

"Gin," Harry mumbled. He looked exhausted, despite the fact that he hadn't even pushed yet.

"I'm sorry wasn't sympathetic enough," he mumbled. Ginny gently pulled Harry's head closer to her and kissed him.

"It's okay, sweetie, it will be over soon and we'll be holding our daughter."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry made a face as Shanti pressed and poked his lower abdomen. She added some pressure and only stopped when she heard Harry whine out.

"Looks like we'll be making a birth canal soon," the Healer said, smiling at Harry's abdomen.

"How soon?" Ginny asked. She wanted this over, for Harry's sake.

"An hour," Shanti replied washing her hands in the sink. "If I were you I would spend this hour getting some rest. Once the birth canal is formed, we'll wait until it's ten centimeters before you push."

"Do you know how many centimeters it is now?" Ginny asked. Shanti had said that all she would have to do is make an opening. The sack she implanted in Harry's belly all those months ago would form part of the birth canal on its own, despite the fact that the patient decided to have a cesarean section.

When Shanti left the room, Ginny rubbed Harry's back, trying to comfort him enough to sleep.

"Ginny, can you rub my stomach, too?" Harry asked.

Ginny moved her right hand to Harry's stomach and her left to his back and started to rub in circles. She heard Harry let out a long breath and exhale deeply. His hands gripped the railing on the left side of his bed. He was holding it so tight that she could see the whites of his knuckles.

"Breath, Harry, in and out," Ginny soothed as she rubbed Harry's back and belly.

"How long was that?" Harry asked once the contraction subsided.

"Thirteen minutes." Ginny resumed her massage on Harry's back and stomach. "Sweetie, we've got an hour before Shanti will make the birth canal, you may want to try to sleep," she said as his eyes started to droop.

"Okay," Harry mumbled. She knew he was asleep when she heard his breathing even out.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Poor thing, he's been in labor for seven hours," Molly commented to Kingsley. He had heard from Arthur that Harry had gone into labor and had stopped by to see how things were going. Harry had fallen asleep and managed to sleep for two hours.

Shanti decided to let him sleep since the contractions were steadily ten minutes apart.

Ginny watched the monitors with the baby's heartbeat and contractions. She winced when she saw a strong one coming and hoped it wouldn't wake up Harry. She soon learned she was wrong.

"_Ah!_" Harry gasped.

"Where was that one, in your back or your belly?" Shanti asked. She had entered the room when she heard Harry moan.

"Both. When did they start coming in my back?" Harry asked to no one in particular. "Ah, geez, ah!" Harry then began breathing hard.

Ginny reached over and rubbed his back, trying to comfort her husband, knowing he was getting tired and frustrated.

"Please tell me this is about over," he practically begged, his big green eyes finding Ginny and Shanti.

Shanti sympathized with him; she knew he wanted it over. She had Harry lying flat on his back and was checking him again to see if it was soft enough to make the birth canal.

"We're ready to make the birth canal. After this, we'll see how much he's dilated and how close he is to ten, and then we'll go from there."

Shanti cleaned Harry's lower abdomen and injected some pain relieving potion in his IV. She casted a local anesthesia spell on Harry's abdomen and began to make the birth canal.

"You might feel a little pressure, Harry," Shanti informed him. "Tell me if the pain is more than you can bear."

Harry nodded and locked his eyes with Ginny. She held his hand as Shanti made the incision that would open up the birth canal.

"Okay, I'm done," Shanti informed Harry and Ginny. Using a mirror, she showed Harry what it looked like after checking to see if the sight of it would make Harry pass out. It looked like a pair of over sized lips was on his lower abdomen.

She stuck her hand in the hole at which Harry winced.

"Ow, that hurts," he whined. Shanti removed her gloved hand and said, "Sorry, Harry. You are about six centimeters; you have four more to go."

"Okay," Harry muttered, turning back to Ginny, who cupped her hand on his face.

"Walking will help with the labor and speed it up some. I would recommend just outside the hall or around the room, whichever you chose."

Fifteen minutes later found Harry and Ginny walking the halls outside of the room.

"Eight minutes apart. They'll start getting more frequent now and they will come quicker," Ginny told her husband as they passed the door to Harry's room for a fifth time.

"I'm ready to go lay down again," Harry said after some time had passed and neither he nor Ginny said anything.

They walked back to the room and Harry laid back down on the bed.

"How is he doing?" Molly asked when she came in five minutes later.

"Good, it should be soon when he starts to push." Ginny looked at her husband and back to her mum.

"Good, I hope he's not going to be hours pushing her out," Molly stated.

"Shanti said that if he's pushed for an hour and she's not here, she'll go ahead with the c-section."

Molly looked at her daughter and was about to asked her how the contractions were when Harry shouted, "_Merlin's muddy trousers!_"

Shanti had heard Harry from down the hall and came in to check on him. She pulled down the covers and pulled up Harry's gown, checking how dilated Harry was.

"Eight centimeters, two more to go Harry!" Shanti exclaimed.

"Good." Harry groaned as another contraction hit.

"Another one?" Shanti asked. Harry nodded as he breathed through the contraction.

"Okay, I'll check again" Shanti pushed her hand in the birth canal and her eyes widened.

"Looks like you'll be ready to push in an hour, you should be dilated then."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Molly entered the waiting room and all eyes went to her and everyone got quiet.

"Well?" Hermione asked.

"He's about ready to push; Ginny will update us on his progress when she can. If he needs a c-section, she'll let us know."

The family plus Kingsley all winced when they heard Harry shout from down the hall. Everyone looked at each other for a moment and then went back to what they were doing, all hoping that for Harry's sake, the birth would go smoothly.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Harry was ten centimeters an hour later, Shanti entered the room with a mediwitch behind her.

"Ready to have this baby?"

"Yes," Ginny and Harry answered in unison.

"Okay." With a wave of her wand, the bed changed to a birthing bed with stirrups. Ginny helped Harry place his feet in the feet holders.

Shanti had allowed Harry to keep his boxers on, but they were pulled down to where it barely covered his groin. A white blanket was covering his lower half so Lily would be wrapped in it to be taken to the warmer in the corner of the room.

"Okay, on the next contraction Harry I want you to push as hard as you can," Shanti told Harry.

Harry nodded and took a deep breath, wincing when he felt the contraction coming.

"And push!"

If Harry thought the contractions were painful, nothing was compared to this. He could hear Shanti counting and Ginny saying words of encouragement, while he was trying to push the baby out.

"Okay and rest. Take a few deep breaths with the oxygen," Shanti gently ordered.

Harry breathed into the oxygen mask as he was told. He felt another contraction.

"And push. 1…2…3…4…5." Shanti began counting and Harry started pushing again.

"Just a little bit longer Harry, you're doing great," Ginny said encouragingly.

Harry's pushing went on for 45 minutes and no progress.

When the latest contraction was over, and Harry leaned back, Shanti checked the canal. She looked up at Ginny and said, "I don't think she's head down."

"_WHAT!_" Harry yelped.

"She's not head down; her head is not down here where it's supposed be". Shanti turned to the mediwitch. "Get an ultrasound in here."

"You think she might still be breeched?" Ginny asked.

"There's a chance she is."

The mediwitch returned with the ultrasound machine on a cart. She moved the monitors out of the way and squirted some gel in the middle of Harry's belly. She moved the wand over the baby and her fears were confirmed.

"She's breeched."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry laid flat on the bed with his gown pulled up, baring his stomach. A sheet covered him from the birth canal down.

After some discussion and weighing the pros and cons, they decided to go ahead with the ECV.

Ginny sat in a chair next to the bed, holding his hand. Shanti decided to give Harry a moment to rest before she performed the ECV.

During that time Ginny went to update the family.

"Well?" Molly asked when she seen Ginny.

"She's breeched." There were gasps around room.

"What are they going to do?" Arthur asked.

"They're going to do an external cephalic version, which is pushing the baby in a head down position."

"How will they do that?"

"By gently applying pressure to his abdomen and moving the baby, he'll have a c-section if it doesn't work," Ginny explained.

"Has he pushed any?" Molly asked.

Ginny nodded. "I was wrong, he did shout at me."

Ron, George and Bill all cracked up laughing, while everyone else looked confused.

"What did he call you?" Ron managed to ask.

"'I hope you appreciate this!'" Ginny quoted in an amusing voice. "Started out sweet as can be, though."

"How much longer?" Hermione asked.

"Not much, as far as I know."

When Ginny returned to the room, Shanti had already returned.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Harry nodded. Ginny could tell by the look on his face he was scared. His eyes found hers and she reached and squeezed his hand.

Shanti gave Harry the potion to relax the sack Lily was in and began applying gentle pressure to Harry's abdomen. He could feel the baby move with Shanti's hand, but when she released the pressure little Lily returned to her previous position.

Shanti sighed. "She's currently sideways in your belly and seems to want to stay that way." She got up from the chair she was sitting in.

"Here's what I want you to do. Think about where you want to go from here. We can try the ECV again in about twenty minutes and then try to push again or go on and do the c-section."

"Can we have a minute to talk?" Ginny asked.

Shanti nodded and left the room leaving Harry and Ginny by themselves. Ginny turned to her husband and pushed his sweaty hair off his forehead.

"Harry, you've been in labor for over eight hours. You're exhausted and I'm afraid that something will happen to you or Lily. I think we should go with the c-section."

Harry thought for a moment and then said, "Okay".

When Shanti came in ten minutes later, Ginny told her what they decided.

"I think we'll go with the c-section."

Shanti nodded and sat down on Harry's bedside. "This is not because you can't deliver her normally. If she wasn't breeched I would continue with allowing you to push her out. But there are some concerns for your safety."

"So we made a good decision?" Ginny asked.

Shanti nodded once more. "We'll begin to prepare for the caesarean. In about an hour, we'll head down to the OR."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry laid on a stretcher, flat on his back. Ginny left briefly to slip on some scrubs. She slipped the booties over her trainers and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

She returned to the room where Harry was, waiting to be wheeled to into the delivery/operating room.

"Last time we were here was when Albus was born," Ginny said, trying to break the nervous energy she was getting from her husband.

Shanti came out and asked, "Ready?"

Harry nodded, muttering, "As ready as I'm gonna be."

Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry and followed them to the room where Shanti would deliver their daughter.

Shanti uncovered Harry's stomach and muttered the numbing charm. She then asked the mediwitch to inject some pain relieving potion into Harry's IV.

"The pain relieving potion would help take the edge off any pain you might feel," Shanti explained.

Ginny sat in chair next to Harry's head. He was covered with a white sheet from the waist down and drapes covered him above his abdomen. The only visible part of Harry was his stomach and his shoulders on up.

Shanti poked around Harry's stomach, checking to see if the numbing charm took.

"Do you feel me poking your stomach Harry?"

"No."

"Good, I'm going to start the incision now." Shanti then took her wand and made the incision low on Harry's abdomen. She had closed up the birth canal before she began the cesarean.

Ginny reached for Harry's hand, giving a squeeze. Harry closed his eyes when he felt some pressure from where Shanti had cut into the sack.

"I've found her, now I'm going to pull her out. You might feel a lot of pressure Harry."

"Okay".

It was soon so quiet you could hear a pin drop as Shanti began to deliver the baby. Then after a moment, the sound of a baby crying filled the room.

"Hello Lily, you've been a stubborn little girl have you?" Shanti cooed as cut the cord and handed her to a mediwitch to clean up.

When she heard her daughter cry, Ginny leaned into Harry and said, "She's here."

Once Lily was cleaned up and looked over, the same mediwitch wrapped her up in a clean blanket and brought her to Ginny.

"Congratulations," she said as she handed Lily to Ginny.

"Thank you," Ginny replied. She looked down at her daughter, whose eyes where already open. They were brown, and there was a tiny tuft of ginger atop her little head.

"Hello Lily, we've been waiting for you for a long time," Ginny cooed.

Ginny looked down her and looked at Harry. He reached his hand over and touched Lily's cheek.

"Hi, baby girl," Harry greeted his newborn daughter. His green eyes stared enamored at the infant, and Ginny knew instantly they had a very special connection. She leaned over to Harry and kissed his forehead before moving lower and capturing his lips with hers.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, moving his sweaty fringe from his face. He seemed completely wiped out. She would never thank Harry enough for all he had done over the last nine months.

"It was…the least I could do," he said, blinking back his exhaustion to the best of his ability.

Ginny handed Lily to Harry. She smiled at the scene in front of her.

"So that was you kicking me, huh?"

Ginny laughed and apparently Shanti heard as well because she laughed as well.

"Lily's going to the nursery for a while and Harry will be in recovery for about an hour or so. So Ginny, why don't you go and tell the family? They can see Lily, but only two at a time."

"Okay, we'll wait until Harry's in his room again when I bring the boys in."

Shanti nodded with a smile.

Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry one more time before they wheeled him to recovery.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Gin."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny walked down the hall with a smile on her face. A daughter, she had a daughter. She couldn't believe it. Lily was here. She was healthy and beautiful. And she had Harry to thank. He had made it through the pregnancy with no problems.

She reached the waiting room, but before she could say anything Molly saw her.

"Well?" Molly stared at her, half-scared and half-excited.

"Seven pounds, three ounces, and she's healthy as a horse. Baby and Daddy are doing fine."

The family cheered, shouted out congratulations and hugged Ginny. When things calmed down, Ginny turned to her parents.

"Would you like to meet your granddaughter?"

Molly was out the door before Ginny could finish. Arthur smiled and followed his wife and daughter. They entered the nursery and found Lily in a cot.

"Oh, she's precious!" Molly looked down at her new grandbaby with a smile. She slowly lifted Lily into her arms, gently rocking her.

"I'm your grandma we've waited for you for a long time sweetheart. Grandma loves you, now go to Granddad." She carefully handed Lily to Arthur.

"She looks like you, Ginny," Arthur commented, not taking his eyes off the newborn. "It's almost as if I'm holding you again."

Ginny smiled as she watched her parents coo over her newborn daughter, unconditional love filling the room from wall to wall.

"I think I have another Granddad's girl on our hands," Arthur informed his wife and daughter. He leaned his head down and kissed the top of Lily's head.

"Here's Mummy. Granddad loves you, Lily." After Ginny had a hold of Lily, Arthur and Molly left and Ron and Hermione came in.

"We left the boys, Rose and Hugo with Mum and Dad," Ron explained to his sister.

"Oh, Ginny, she's precious!" Hermione cooed.

"She'll have Harry wrapped around her little finger," Ron said, holding the baby's hand between his finger and thumb. "Trust me, I should know."

After everybody came in to see little Lily Luna, Ginny left the nursery and was almost immediately bombarded by her sons.

"Mummy!" they both cried out in unison, nearly knocking her down as they ambushed her in a hug.

"Nice shirts, you two," Ginny chuckled.

"Grandma put them on," James said of their matching Big Brother garbs.

"Well, we're going to see your baby sister when Daddy gets back in his room."

"Okay."

Ginny walked with her sons to the waiting room. An hour later Shanti came to tell Ginny that Harry had been moved back to his room.

Of course when Shanti came to the door all conversations came to a halt. Everyone was thinking that something had happened.

Since what happened when Ginny had Albus, everyone in the family became cautious when it came to having a baby. Nobody wanted think of what could have happened.

But everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that Harry was fine and that he was in his room.

Everyone went home since it was late. Molly and Arthur said they would bring the boys in the morning to meet their sister. Albus had fallen asleep and James was fighting sleep. Soon Ginny was alone and walked down to Harry's room.

She found her husband, sleeping in his bed. She smiled at her sleeping husband, knowing he was exhausted. She slowly crawled in beside him after changing into her pajamas and soon she fell asleep, dreaming of her new family of five.


	10. Bringing Home Baby

A Long Nine Months Chapter 10-Bringing Home Baby

The next morning, Harry woke up, slightly disoriented. He went to stretch but he felt dull ache in his stomach.

His hands shot to his stomach. Overnight the baby bump he had carried in his abdomen for nine months had deflated down enough that he just looked a little bloated. Then the events of the day and night before came flooding back to him.

Lily was here. He had a daughter. He couldn't believe it was over. Now they could start a new life, raising their daughter and sons.

"Are you awake, sweetie?"

"Yeah." Harry gently turned over, wincing slightly at the slight pain he was feeling in his abdomen.

Ginny had woken up and seen Harry was still sleeping. Knowing he was exhausted from the day before, she let him sleep. She was sitting in the armchair next to Harry's bed when he woke up.

"How are you feeling?" Ginny asked as she sat down on Harry's bedside. She ran her fingers through his hair and handed him his glasses.

"Sore," he answered honestly. The muscles in his stomach were feeling sore from where Shanti had made the incisions to make the birth canal and from the cesarean.

"Shanti came in while you were asleep. She said that you can take a shower, eat and walk around if you need to. Until you've recovered completely she doesn't want you to lift either of the boys. It can open the incisions."

"Thank you for that mental picture," Harry muttered as Ginny helped him up and he staggered to the bathroom. Ginny helped him shower since he didn't have a lot of energy. Once he was done with the shower, Ginny helped him dry off and change into his lounge pants and his Holyhead Harpies t-shirt with Ginny's old jersey number on the back that she had packed for Harry to wear.

When he returned to bed, Ginny had him lay back in the bed.

"I need to rub the balm to help the scarring and change the bandage," his wife explained as she pulled up his shirt.

Ginny changed out the bandage and rubbed the balm on the two incision areas on Harry's abdomen.

"Let me know if you feel sick to your stomach and I'll get you some anti-nausea potion."

Harry nodded and let Ginny take care of him. She slipped socks on his feet and covered him with the blanket from home. Then when Molly brought them breakfast, she fixed his breakfast.

"I left the boys in the waiting room with your dad. Andromeda should be here with Teddy soon."

Ginny turned to her mother. "I'll wait until Teddy gets here to bring the boys in and when they bring Lily." Molly left to give Harry and Ginny some time to themselves.

"I'll bring Teddy in with the boys. I was thinking we would let him hold Lily first and then the boys. I have the camera in my bag and maybe I could Andromeda to take a few pictures for me?"

A knock on the door interrupted any more conversations.

"Good morning, how are we doing this morning?" Shanti asked as she checked Harry's temperature and blood pressure.

"Fine, just feeling a little sore," Harry answered.

"That's understandable. A lot of the soreness you're feeling is the muscles from where the abdominal muscles were stretched for so long. The soreness will go away when the muscles recover."

"So how long do I need to be on restricted activity?" Harry asked.

"Three weeks, you need some time to rest. You can go to your family Sunday lunches. Take it easy on the stairs. No lifting either of the boys. You can lift Lily if she's not in the car seat. Try to rest as much as you can. Keep the boys and your nieces and nephews off your abdomen for a while, at least until it feels like it's recovered and the incisions heal. And…." Shanti turned to Ginny, who was listening to Shanti's instructions.

"No sex for six weeks." Harry pouted at that.

"That's the rule for everyone, Harry," Shanti explained. She looked at Ginny. "Have the boys met their sister?"

"Not yet, I'll have a talk with them before I bring them in."

"Good." Shanti made a note in Harry's file and replaced it in the holder on the wall. "I'll see you this afternoon. Find my mediwitch if you need anything."

"Okay, thanks Shanti." Ginny hugged her. "For everything."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

After Shanti left, there was a knock on the door.

"Special delivery!" a nursery worker rolled the cot in with Lily inside. She was wearing a pink hospital onesie with a hospital bracelet with Harry and Ginny's name on it.

"Thank you," Ginny called to the worker as she left the room. She moved the cot to the corner and lifted Lily out.

"Hi sweetheart," she cooed. She held her daughter for a moment before she looked at the clock and was surprised that it was already nine in the morning. She needed to get a shower before she brought the boys in to meet their sister.

She looked at Harry. "Want her while I take a shower?"

Harry responded by holding out his arms. "Hand her here." Ginny carefully carried her daughter to her husband.

"Come here, princess." Harry cuddled his newborn daughter, while Ginny headed to the shower.

He looked down at his daughter. "Well, Lily, your mummy and I waited for you for a long time. For reasons you'll be explained when your older, Daddy had to carry you in Daddy's tummy, instead of Mummy."

Harry looked in his daughter's brown eyes, Ginny's eyes looking back at him.

"You'll meet your brothers soon. Now Mummy grew up with all brothers, your uncles. Then your grandparents, which knowing your grandma, like I do, she's all ready loved on you." Harry gently brought Lily's head up and kissed the top of her head.

"Now Daddy was an only child, my parents died a long time ago. You're named after your Grandma Potter."

Harry held his daughter, talking to her while Ginny showered.

As Ginny opened the door and started to leave the bathroom , she heard Harry say, "I wish you could meet her and your Grandpa Potter. They would have loved you and your brothers."

Ginny smiled at the sight of her husband holding their daughter.

"I hope you know that you're loved. Always remember that, baby girl, Daddy loves you."

Ginny knew that Harry wanted to make sure that Teddy and the kids knew they were loved. She was the first person to say to him that she loved him. She wanted to hex his relatives for how they treated him. When she went with him to get his stuff from Privet Drive, she was surprised when Harry told off his aunt and uncle. Now, he was married and had three wonderful children.

Ginny approached the bed slowly. She leaned over and kissed her daughter and then kissed Harry.

"I'm going to go get the boys."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny walked down the hall to Harry's room carrying Albus and had a grip on James's hand. Teddy held James's other hand, following Ginny to Harry's room.

Teddy was happy to have another godsibling. When Harry explained to him that he would be carrying the baby instead of Ginny, Teddy only asked if it meant that Harry would forget about him. Harry explained that to him that he was like another son to him and Ginny and they would always take care of him and be there for him.

Teddy, along with James and Albus, loved to feel Lily kick and move around in Harry's stomach. When they said it was girl, Teddy didn't know what to think. He was around and played with Victoire, Dominique, Molly, Lucy, Roxanne and Rosie. But when he went to Harry and Ginny's the only female in the house was Ginny. Now there would be two.

Teddy's thoughts were interrupted when Ginny stopped and bent down, looking at her sons, dressed in their matching Big Brother shirts, different than the ones they wore the day before.

"Listen to Mummy. Daddy has your baby sister. I'll allow you to hold her with my or Daddy's help. Understand?"

At her sons' nods, she continued. "Daddy has an owwie on his tummy so you can't climb on Daddy, okay?"

"Okay, Mama," Albus said. Ginny looked at James. "Do you understand, mister?"

"Yes, Mummy."

"Okay," Ginny said as she stood up.

She opened the door and the boys went in the room. Ginny lifted Albus and then James and they crawled to either side of Harry.

"Hello boys, this is your sister." Harry introduced Lily to James and Albus. James looked at his new sister and looked at his mother.

"What do you think, Jamie?"

"I think she's pretty," James said with a smile.

"Baby!" Albus squealed, pointing to Lily.

"That's your baby sister," Ginny told her youngest son, moving the messy black hair off his forehead.

"Albie's baby sister?"

"Yes buddy, this is James's and your baby sister," Harry explained.

"Baby sister come from Daddy's tummy?"

"Yes, Albie, this is the baby from Daddy's tummy." To Harry's chagrin, Ginny lifted up his t-shirt. "See? Daddy's tummy is now flat because the baby is here."

Ginny turned to Teddy. "Want to hold her?" she asked.

Teddy nodded and sat in the armchair next to the bed. Ginny gently handed him the baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket. Ginny reached into her purse and pulled out her camera. She snapped a few pictures of Teddy holding Lily.

James was next to move to the armchair. Ginny helped him hold her and when she felt that he can manage for a minute without assistance, she snapped a few pictures of James holding Lily.

Ginny transferred Lily back to Harry, who placed her in Albus's arms. She then picked up the camera and snapped a few pictures of Albus holding Lily with Harry's assistance.

"How precious is that?" she said when Albus bent his head to Lily's and kissed her forehead. She snapped a picture of the loving scene before her.

"Teddy, go get Gran and ask her to come in here."

The ten-year-old left, leaving Harry and Ginny with their new family of five.

Andromeda came in not too long later. "Oh, she's precious! May I?"

Ginny took Lily as Harry handed the baby to her. "Of course. You held the boys."

Once Andromeda was seated, Ginny handed her Lily.

"She's beautiful, Ginny. Harry, you out did yourself." She looked at the new father of three. "How are you?"

"Sore. Shanti said it will take a while before my stomach completely recovers from being stretched out for so long."

Andromeda smiled at Harry, remembering the grief-stricken teenager she'd met ten years ago. When Remus had said that he wanted Harry to be Teddy's godfather, she'd thought he was crazy. But Harry had proven her wrong time and time again. Harry was a father figure in Teddy's life. He saw that he had all of his needs and most of his wants. He's helped them out financially, so much so that Andromeda had lost count.

She really couldn't thank Harry enough for all he had done for her and for Teddy.

Ginny handed her the camera. "I was wondering if you could take a family picture for me?"

"Of course, Ginny." She took the camera from Ginny. She placed Albus on her lap and James beside her. Harry held Lily and had an arm wrapped around Teddy. He was a part of the family, another son to Harry and Ginny and a brother to James, Albus and now Lily.

"Smile!" Andromeda said before she pressed the button. When she did she smiled at the happy family she saw before her.

"Thanks, Andromeda," Ginny said as she took the camera back.

"You're very welcome."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Andromeda and Teddy had gone home an hour later, Arthur and Molly took the boys back to the Burrow since it was getting close to nap time. Ginny sat in a rocking chair, holding Lily, while Harry slept.

"You know, your Grandma Molly had to have six boys before she got a daughter. I'm just glad it took us only three tries. I guess Daddy and I will have to decide whether or not you're our last one."

She looked down at Lily's face. She got her eyes, but she got Harry's nose, the only thing she gotten from her father. Ginny wouldn't be surprised if she gotten Harry's stubbornness, though.

"We need to stick together. It's me and you in house full of boys. But it's nothing that I can't handle."

Ginny looked over at Harry, still fast asleep. She knew he must be exhausted between not sleeping much when Lily was still in his belly, Lily's labor and delivery, and the pain from the incision areas.

"Daddy had to carry you in his tummy. I hope that you appreciate that. He sacrificed a lot to bring you into the world. I know you probably already have your Daddy wrapped around your little finger. I know he loves you. He may overworry about things, he may freak out easily and he may be overprotective of you, but he loves you."

Ginny rocked Lily while she fed her. Shanti had given Ginny some potions to help her produce mother's milk. Ginny had spent the last few hours pumping breast milk since Lily wouldn't latch on.

Molly came in with lunch. She smiled at her daughter and granddaughter.

"Is she eating well?" she asked.

Ginny held up the bottle. "This was half full and now it's about empty."

Molly smiled and noticed Harry was asleep. "Poor dear, he's exhausted."

"He's been asleep for two hours. He fell asleep as soon as the boys left."

"Where did you find the big brother shirts?" Molly asked.

"I found them when I had to go and get Harry some new shirts. I think I was at JK Maxx or something like that. I got three of them because I couldn't decide which color and style I liked. I also got a little sister onesie for Lily."

Molly smiled. "She seems to be doing well. She's healthy. I can't believe my daughter has a daughter."

"I just told her that it took you and Dad six tries to have me and it only took three for Harry and me."

Molly smiled. Ginny handed her the camera and showed her the pictures of the boys holding their sister. Ginny had even snapped a picture of Harry and Lily, both asleep.

"Aw, how precious is that?" Molly cooed when she saw the picture of Harry and Lily.

Molly sat and talked to Ginny for a while and eventually held Lily while Ginny ate her lunch.

Shanti had come in and checked on Harry. She asked Ginny how he was doing with pain and how the incision was doing. Without waking up Harry, Shanti managed to check the incisions, pulling off the bandage that covered them.

Harry was still asleep when Shanti ran the spell that checked his vitals.

"He seems to be going good for someone who had a baby less than twelve hours ago."

Ginny smiled at her sleeping husband. "How long did you say that Harry will be here?"

"Four days at most."

Ginny nodded, making a note to go home for some clothes for herself and Harry. And Lily, Ginny reminded herself. She thought she would go home when Molly brought dinner.

Shanti made notes on Harry's chart and told Ginny she would check on him an hour later.

Ginny went to Harry's bedside and kissed him. She smiled, watching her husband sleeping and then looking down at her daughter.

Twenty-four hours before, she only could feel her move in Harry's belly. Now she was out and healthy as can be.

Ginny smiled when she thought of her life. She had three wonderful children, two boys and a girl, a godson who was like her own, a husband who loved her and she could be herself and not what someone else thought she should be. She had a successful career and her family, Mum, Dad and brothers, were all healthy and happy.

She then realized how blessed she was.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny was reading a book her mother gave her about mothers and daughters when a knock came at the door.

"I hear congratulations are in order."

Ginny looked up and saw Holly, the Potter family healer. She smiled and got up and hugged her.

"Thank you, she's in the cot," Ginny said, motioning to the cot in the corner of the room. Holly walked over and smiled. "I saw Shanti not long after the ultrasound appointment. She told me that you and Harry were having a girl. I met her in the hall not too long ago. I never knew Harry was that tough, almost nine hours of hard labor!"

"I know!" Ginny laughed. "He did great throughout the pregnancy, didn't really gain a lot of weight, it was mostly all baby."

"So he was all belly and nowhere else?"

Ginny nodded. "He did well through the delivery. He hasn't really complained about pain."

"Good, will I be seeing her soon?" Holly asked.

"I picked you for James's healer and you've taken care of both of my boys." She paused for moment, thinking. "Correction all four of my boys." She also looked after Teddy.

"You and Lily are outnumbered."

"I know, Mum and I were with all my brothers and Dad."

Holly smiled. "I'll stop in and check on her before you all go home, I'll also check on Harry."

Ginny nodded. "Thank you for stopping by."

"No problem."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry had woken up an hour later after Holly had left. He looked at Ginny and smiled when he saw her holding their daughter.

"Hey, sleepyhead, how are you feeling?"

"Better. I don't feel as sore as I did," Harry said, adjusting himself to a more comfortable spot.

"How's your stomach?" she asked. She was concerned about post-op nausea. It seemed that anytime Harry was put under sleeping draught or anesthesia, he always felt extremely nauseous after he woke up.

"Better. I did feel a little nauseous this morning, but after I ate something I felt better."

Ginny crawled into bed and sat next to Harry. "Does your stomach hurt from the incisions?"

"Not too bad," Harry told her.

"Okay, Holly came in while you were asleep. She'll stop by before we go home and look over Lily and you."

Harry made a whining noise. He hated going to the healer.

"You know, sometimes I feel like I have four children and with Teddy, five."

"Who are the fourth and fifth?" Harry asked.

"You," Ginny answered, folding a blanket she covered herself with the night before. Harry didn't say anything, it wasn't the first time they had this conversation. In reality, Ginny didn't mind Harry being clingy and needy when he was sick or hurt. He never was given the nurturing and love he needed growing up. Ginny felt that she made up for it every time she took care of Harry when he was sick or injured.

He also sometimes acted like he was the boy's age.

Harry looked at a covered plate and points at it. "Is that lunch?"

Ginny nodded. "Mum brought it a couple of hours ago." She removed the cover and zapped the chicken sandwich with a warming charm. She handed the plate to Harry.

"Start to feel nauseous, tell me. Shanti left some stomach potions and potions for pain and nausea when she was in here last."

Harry ate half of sandwich, feeling full. He looked at Ginny. "Where's Lily?"

"She's sleeping in her cot."

"Does it feel like a dream?" he asked.

Ginny looked her husband, puzzled by his question. "What do you mean?"

Harry took a drink of water before he answered. "Does it feel like a dream that we have a daughter?"

Ginny smiled. "It kind of does. I keep thinking I'll wake up and she's not here or she's still in your belly."

When Ginny mentioned Harry's stomach, he froze. "I'm afraid to look," he deadpanned.

"Look at what?" Ginny asked confused.

"My stomach. The swelling feels like it's gone down and we could tell what it really looks like now."

Harry took a deep breath and got up with Ginny's help and headed to the bathroom. He stood in the mirror for a minute before he summoned enough courage to pull up his shirt.

Gone was the flat and muscular stomach he had since he became an Auror, now it was floppy and saggy. It looked like a balloon had deflated. He turned to side and was relieved when he saw from the side that it was flat.

Ginny, who was standing at the door, said "It can be fixed, we'll talk to Shanti when we go for your follow up appointment or something".

"Yonas is going to have _so_ much fun with this. I can already feel the muscles in my back and stomach hurting just thinking about how many sit-ups he'll make me do."

"He'll have to wait until you get the okay and maybe by then, your stomach will return to its pre-baby stomach."

"I hope so."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Four days later, Harry and Lily were discharged from the hospital. Ginny had gone home to get Lily's car seat and with Audrey's help, she got the base installed in the car.

"Do you have two of these?" Audrey asked.

"Yes, one's for my car and the other is for Harry's."

Audrey stayed to visit with Ginny and Lily. While she was visiting, Holly checked Harry before they discharged him.

"So, you'll see Shanti in a month for a follow-up correct?" Holly asked.

"Correct," Harry answered.

"Good. I'll sign the forms and then all you have to do is wait for Shanti and then she'll officially discharge you. I want to see you after the follow-up appointment with Shanti. I'll send an owl later to schedule a time. Take care of yourself."

"Thanks, Holly."

Harry didn't have to wait long for Shanti. She came in five minutes later.

"Today's the day! Ready to take Lily home?"

"God, yes," Harry answered.

"Okay, I'll have to check the incisions and schedule your follow-up appointment and then you're ready to go."

Harry laid back in the bed, pulling up his shirt. Shanti pulled off the bandages and checked the incisions.

"They're healing nicely. I see Ginny has applied the balm and changed the bandage."

"That stuff makes the lower half of my stomach feel numb," Harry said.

"Then it's doing its job," Shanti replied. "Okay, I think you're ready to go."

Harry sat up as Ginny was coming in with Lily in her car seat.

"Both of you seem to have a clean bill of health so we can go."

Harry and Ginny walked down the hall with Lily in between them in her car seat. They checked out with the welcome witch so Ginny could turn in the visitor's badge and they left the hospital.

Ginny had moved the car to be close to the entrance for St. Mungo's so that Harry wouldn't have to walk too far to get to the car.

Harry got in the back with Lily since Ginny has moved Albus's car seat to the passenger's side of the car. Ginny placed Lily's car seat in the base, shutting the door when they heard the click of the seat locking into the base.

Ginny smiled and shut the door, getting in the driver's seat. She drove home to Godric's Hollow.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Molly was there to greet them when they got home. James was the first out the door, followed closely by Albus and Arthur.

"Hi, Mummy!" James greeted his mother with a hug, followed by Albus. Harry came up beside them.

"What, Daddy doesn't get a hug?" Harry pouted. James and Albus launched themselves into Harry's arms. Since he wasn't allowed to pick up the boys, they would have to settle for hugs and kisses until Shanti gave the okay.

Ginny got Lily out of the car. "Come on boys, let's go in."

James and Albus ran to the back door where Molly was waiting. Arthur followed Harry, carrying the bags Ginny had placed in the back of her car.

Molly had fixed dinner and had prepared soups, casseroles and a few quick fixes Ginny could throw together quickly for dinner.

Ron and Hermione had driven over with Rosie and Hugo. Percy and Audrey followed them with their girls. Bill, Fleur and their children flooed over, and they were followed by George, Angelina, Freddie and Roxanne.

"Hello!" they all chorused.

"Not to be rude but what are you all doing here?" Ginny asked with her hands on her hips.

"I can't believe it!" Hermione exclaimed with a smile.

"What?" Harry replied.

Ron looked at his sister and to his best mate. "Do you know what day it is?"

Harry and Ginny both went to the calendar hanging on the wall next to the peg board.

"Lily was born on July 26. That was five days ago and today's….."

"Your birthday," Ginny finished.

After dinner prepared by Molly and the family all visited with Lily again, Molly brought out the cake she had made, followed by Harry opening his presents from the family.

"So Harry, what's your favorite present?" Ron asked.

"Actually…I got it early." He looked at his sleeping daughter in his wife's arms. "Five days early."

Everyone smiled and looked at the newborn. It was no secret that Lily was Harry's birthday present.

Harry sat back in his seat, smiling to himself. He was 28 years old, happy, healthy, had a beautiful wife who loved him, a wonderful godson and three children, but most of all…a caring family. If someone would have told him that this would be his life ten or twenty years ago, he would never have believed it.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Lily woke them up at midnight to be fed. Ginny jumped up and got Lily before Harry could get up.

"I forgot what it was like to have a newborn," Harry mumbled sleepily.

"I did, too," Ginny confessed. She was used to Albus sleeping through the night.

Harry had fallen back to sleep and didn't wake up until he felt a little finger tapping his cheek.

"Daddy, Mummy said it's time to get up," James told his father.

"Okay, tell Mummy I'll be there in a minute," Harry told his son as he got up and slipped his glasses on.

"MUMMY, DADDY WILL THERE IN A MINUTE!" James shouted as he ran out of the room.

"I could have done that!" Harry yelled to his son, shaking his head. He went in the bathroom where he relieved himself, washed his hands and face, and left the room.

He then padded downstairs to the kitchen. Ginny placed a plate with eggs, sausage and toast with strawberry jam. He started eating his breakfast as Ginny began the laundry.

After breakfast Harry returned to their bedroom for a shower and to change clothes. He returned downstairs where he rested on the couch, watching the boys play. The boys were playing with some building blocks Arthur had given for Christmas.

"Can you play with us, Daddy?"

Harry picked up a pillow from the couch and sat on the pillow in the floor. He started building a tower with the boys.

"I see you're playing with the Legos." Ginny had come downstairs with a basket of laundry from the boys' bathroom.

She was about to head to the scullery where their washing machine was when there was a knock on the door.

"Expecting anyone?" Harry asked. If it was anyone in the family, they wouldn't knock, they would come right in.

Ginny opened the front door. "Luna! How are you?" Ginny exclaimed as she embraced her closest friend in a one arm hug.

"I'm good. I just got back from Romania. I'm surprised I didn't see Charlie," Luna explained. "I _did_ see quite a few mumblepoofs, though."

"What brings you by?" Ginny asked, leading Luna to the kitchen.

"I heard about Lily's arrival and thought I would stop by and say hi," she explained.

"She's in the rocker," Ginny said, motioning to the rocking swing. Luna leaned over the rocker and smiled.

"She's beautiful, Ginny, she looks like you!"

"Luna, did you know that…?" Luna cut her off.

"Harry carried her?" she finished for her. "I did, remember we met for lunch after the implantation procedure and I said that it will happen. I also said that you'll get a little girl."

Ginny smiled, remembering that day. "I think Harry wanted a daughter more than I did. I would watch with any of the girls, especially Rosie and his face would light up."

Harry entered the kitchen to get the boys juice boxes.

"Hello, Luna, how are you?" he greeted as he hugged her.

"I'm good, Harry. How are you?"

"I'm fine." Harry looked at Ginny with a smile as Luna turned her attention to Lily.

Ginny picked up Lily. "Would like to hold her?"

Luna nodded and followed Ginny to the family room. Ginny gently transferred her daughter to Luna.

"Hello, Lily," Luna greeted in her dreamy voice. Harry and Ginny smiled at each other, then Harry nodded.

"How does it feel to hold your goddaughter?" Ginny asked her closest and best friend.

Luna looked at Ginny surprised. "What?"

Ginny looked up at Harry as she said "Harry and I decided to…" Ginny then turned to Luna "…make you Lily's godmother!"

"I'm very honored, thank you!" She hugged Ginny and then Harry.

"She's also your namesake. Her middle name is Luna," Harry told her.

"Wow. You named her after me?"

"After Ron and Hermione, you are the closest friend we have."

Luna hugged Ginny and Harry, visiting for a while before she left.

Harry walked upstairs to the nursery and got the carrier he bought. The boys' naptime was coming and Harry and Lily were escaping, allowing Ginny to have some quiet time.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry walked the now familiar pathway. Lily was in a carrier, attached to Harry's front, not making a sound. Harry would stop every now and then and look down at her to see if she was okay. She would coo from time to time, making Harry smile.

The village was quiet. Only a few people were out and about. Children were playing at the playground and laughing. Church bells rang, signaling the noon hour.

Harry walked to the church and in the kissing gate. If he was blindfolded he would still be able to a find his parent's grave.

He reached the double headstone and swallowed hard.

"Well Mum, I have a daughter. I named her after you. I brought her here so you could meet her. Many times I wish that you and Dad were here. You would have loved Lily and the boys. I had to carry her, but maybe you already knew that. I'm sorry if I gave you any trouble when you were pregnant with me."

Harry looked down his daughter, Ginny's eyes looking at the double headstone.

"She's only got my nose – whether it was yours or Dad's, I'll never know. That was the only thing she got from me, she's all Ginny otherwise. I might be in trouble in a few years. Ron's already warned that she'll have me wrapped around her little finger."

Using his wand he conjured white and yellow lilies and laid them on his parents' grave.

"Dad, I know you probably thought I'd lost my mind when I agreed to carry her, but I promised myself when Ginny and I got married that I would do anything to make her happy. This time I think it made both of us happier actually. I never realized how much I wanted a daughter until I had one."

He paused to wipe the few tears that leaked from his eyes.

"I would do it all over again if I needed to."

Lily cooed and snuggled against her father. Harry rubbed the top of her head.

"Lily, I'll tell you about your grandparents and how it took many, many years for your Grandma to fall in love with your Grandpa."

He looked at his Dad's grave. "Blame Sirius he was the one who told me that story."

When Harry realized it was getting close to Lily's feeding time, he knew that would have to go home.

"I'll bring her by again sometime. I'd better get her home since it's about time for her to eat again." He got up and was about to walk to the kissing gate when he turned around.

"I love you, I love you both." He walked to the kissing gate and back to the house with a smile on his face.

He walked in the house, smiling when he saw Ginny asleep on the couch. He unhooked Lily from the carrier and carried her in his arms upstairs. After leaving the carrier in the nursery, he quietly went to check on the boys.

Both were sleeping and content. Harry returned downstairs, getting a bottle out of the refrigerator and settling in the rocking chair.

As he did so, he realized how much his life has changed and there was nothing he would want to change. After all these years, he had the family he'd always dreamt of.


	11. Life With Lily

A Long Nine Months Chapter 11 - Life with Lily

Life in the Potter household was starting to get back to normal. Harry and Ginny were getting adjusted to having three kids instead of two. Silencing charms were added to the boy's bedrooms to keep them from waking up when Lily cried and the child safety and monitoring charms were added to Lily's room.

Harry and Ginny learned early on when Albus was a baby that James was a light sleeper like his father. Only once did James wake up when Albus cried and stayed up all night, much to his parents chagrin. Harry added a silencing charm to his bedroom the next day.

Hermione nearly came unglued when she found out, but Harry was quick to point out that the silencing charm would keep James and now Albus from getting woken up in the middle of the night by Lily. The child safety and monitoring charms were still working, which would alert Harry and Ginny if James or Albus needed them.

Despite all the work the parents did to keep the boys from waking up, Harry and Ginny were sleep deprived.

Molly noticed this when she came over a week after Lily was born.

"You two look awful!" she exclaimed when she entered the kitchen.

"Thanks Mum," Ginny replied sarcastically, flicking her wand to the cabinet that held the cups and summoned a cup and poured herself some tea.

Molly walked to the end of the table where Harry was sitting. His head was down, his eyes were closed and judging by his breathing, he was asleep.

"Lily woke up at 11 for a feeding, nappy change at midnight, another nappy change at one, this time a dirty one, then she woke up just for the sake of it at three, plus for another feeding. She went back to sleep at four and woke up for yet another nappy change and we never got her back to sleep," Ginny explained, pausing every now and then to yawn.

"And just like with the boys, you're taking turns getting up with her," Molly stated. Ginny nodded and covered her mouth to hide a yawn.

"Ginny dear, why don't you go back to bed, I'll floo Arthur and he can take the boys and I'll watch Lily. Take Harry with you, he looks exhausted."

Ginny hesitated for a moment before she felt total exhaustion set in.

"Okay, I'll get him up," she motioned to her sleeping husband. "And we'll go back to bed," She leaned over and gently shook Harry's shoulder.

"Harry, wake up."

Harry slowly opened his eyes and mumbled "what?"

"Mum's going to watch Lily, Dad's got the boys and you and I are going back to bed."

"Okay", Harry got up and followed her to their bedroom.

Molly stood outside Lily's nursery with the baby in her arms, "Have a good sleep; I'll make you some lunch later and then start dinner."

Ginny hugged her mother as she said thank you.

"It's the least I can do," she turned to Harry, "I better start cooking, you're too thin."

Harry just nodded, too tired to say otherwise. He followed Ginny to their bedroom and all but collapsed on the unmade bed.

"I love you Ginny," Harry mumbled against her cheek.

Ginny turned to face Harry and wrapped her arm around him, snuggling against his side.

"I love you Harry."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Four hours later, Ginny woke up to a noise from downstairs. Instantly alert, she grabbed her wand and got out of bed. She turned briefly to find Harry still asleep, which was understandable considering he had been awake since four that morning. She was surprised that the noise didn't wake up Harry; he must have been dead asleep to not hear that sound.

Ginny approached their door and slowly made her way to the stairs. Quiet as a church mouse, she made her way downstairs and felt foolish when reached the bottom.

The noise she heard was her sons, knocking over blocks with Arthur.

"Good sleep, Ginny?" Arthur asked when he saw his daughter.

Ginny nodded and made her way to the kitchen.

"What are you doing up? You're supposed to be in bed!" Molly exclaimed before she fretted over her daughter. "Do you eat? I swear you and Harry are too thin." With that, Molly began piecing together lunch and placed it on the table. Sandwiches piled high with bowls of crisps, potato salad and fruit.

"Lunch is ready," Molly called into the family room. Arthur came in with Albus in his arms and James behind him.

They sat down to eat when Molly asked Ginny if Harry was awake.

"He's still asleep," Ginny informed her as she selected a turkey sandwich for herself and scooped out some grapes on the boys' plates. To Ginny's surprise, Molly had cut the crusts off the boy's sandwiches and cut them in half.

"He looks peaky. Is he eating well?" she asked.

Ginny got herself some potato salad and a handful of crisps.

"He's been eating as well as he had when he was pregnant, only a smaller amount, sometimes seconds of what I've fixed."

Molly nodded, accepting the answer. She made a note to make sure that Harry ate well that day.

"He's been trying to lose the baby weight, which luckily for him isn't that much" Ginny asked as she picked up a grape. "He didn't gain weight anywhere except for his belly."

The sound of the stairs creaking brought everyone's attention to the doorway where a few minutes later a disheveled Harry appeared.

"Have a nice kip?" Molly asked.

Harry nodded through a yawn and sat down next to Ginny.

Molly wordlessly handed Harry a plate with a little bit of everything on it. Harry grimaced at the amount, but began to eat regardless.

"Harry, you're too thin and you look awful. Are you feeling alright?" Molly asked.

"I'm fine, just not been sleeping much. I forget what it was like to have a newborn."

"You know, I could come over and help out for a while so you two could rest," Molly offered. Harry and Ginny looked at each other, having a nonverbal conversation. After a moment, Ginny turned to her mother.

"I don't know. Can you handle the boys and Lily at the same time?" Ginny hesitantly asked.

"I raised the seven of you, plus Fred and George. I think I can manage the boys and Lily. Your father is off work trying to use up his accumulated sick days and vacations before he retires, so he'll be available to help."

Ginny sighed and eventually agreed, on the condition that sometimes they bring the kids to the Burrow to allow Molly to get work done around the house.

"I could take the boys down to the village for ice cream sometime".

Ginny smiled. "Like you did when we was growing up?"

Arthur nodded. "As a granddad, it's my job to spoil them, love on them, and feed them sugary treats…"

"And send them home with us on a sugar high," Harry added. He smiled at Arthur, "You and Molly are the only grandparents that my kids will get to go places with, spend the night with and anything else that grandparents do. Go right ahead". 

Molly smiled at Harry's statement. Ginny never said anything. She knew how much her parents loved being grandparents and if they wanted to feed the kids ice cream and send them home messy, sticky, and on a sugar high, who was she to tell them no.

She wanted her kids to spend time with the grandparents, they have that's alive. And she wouldn't want to change a thing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A few days later, Harry stumbled out of the floo at the Burrow, catching himself on the armchair sitting in front of the floo.

"Am I ever going to master flooing?" He asked himself as dusted himself off and cleaned up the mess he made.

"Hello Harry," Molly greeted when Harry entered the kitchen.

"Hi Molly, Arthur," The Weasley patriarch and matriarch were in the kitchen, sitting at the table. Arthur was reading the _Daily Prophet _and Molly was reading _Good Witchkeeping._

"How are you Harry?" Molly asked.

"Good, I was wondering if I could talk to Arthur," Harry said, looking at his father in law, hopefully.

"Sure, let's go out to the shed." Arthur folded the paper and headed for the door.

"Harry, I some food I'm sending home with you, come in and get it before you go home," Molly called as he followed Arthur out the door.

"Okay," Harry called back. He followed Arthur to the shed. The shed was something that never changed. It was filled with Muggle gadgets and Arthur's tools.

"What is that you wanted to talk about Harry?" Arthur asked, sitting down on a stool.

"Well, I was wondering, what's it like raising a daughter?" Harry asked suddenly.

Arthur paused, thinking and he grinned when he said "Nothing like I've experienced before".

He moved closer to Harry. "When Molly told me we were going to have another baby, I had mixed emotions. I was happy, but yet I wasn't happy. We had six boys and we wanted to try for another baby, but not for another year, kind of like what you and Ginny thought when you had Albus a year after James."

Harry nodded. Neither he nor Ginny was ready for another baby so soon after James.

"But, then I thought maybe this time we'd get a girl. It had been several generations since a Weasley had a girl. Well, as you know, we did. When I first laid eyes on Ginny, I couldn't believe that we finally had our daughter".

Arthur smiled as he remembered the day Ginny was born. Hard to believe she was married and now had a daughter of her own.

"I knew she was a daddy's girl from the moment I first held her. It was me, she smiled at first, me who she laughed, me who she crawled to and then walked to. Words couldn't describe how I felt when I heard her say 'dada'".

Harry prompted his head in his upturned hand and listened, realizing that some of this wasn't too far off for him and Lily.

"Then when I came home, she was the one who would run to greet me," Arthur smiled when he recalled another memory of Ginny growing up. "I once said I pitied the poor soul who would marry her. She may not admit it, but she's her mother's daughter. She's just has strong willed, stubborn and setting her ways, just her mother".

Harry nodded, recalling her powerful _Reducto _charm in the D.A.

"When Ginny was a little girl, she'd make me pictures and I'd take them to work and hang them up on the wall. I still have some of them on that wall."

Arthur looked at Harry and seriously said, "cherish her, love her and support her dreams, even if they are not your own."

Harry nodded and asked, "Did you not want Ginny to play Quidditch?"

Arthur shook his head, "That was Molly. She wanted Ginny to be a healer. I knew Ginny had the talent to be a Quidditch player and that she loved to write about Quidditch. I could never be disappointed with her choice of career if it made her happy".

Harry knew that, Arthur smiled with pride as he watched Ginny's first professional Quidditch game.

"Enjoy Lily while she's young. Because one day she'll grow up and not need you anymore. She'll meet a boy who sweeps her off her feet and loves her more than anything in the world."

Harry blushed when he realized that Arthur was referring to him. "I remember telling the story about 'The Boy Who Lived' and her telling me that she would marry Harry Potter one day. Of course, she was five years old and no one knows who they would marry at five."

Arthur reached over and patted Harry's shoulder. "She proved me wrong there". Harry smiled, remembering how Ron told him about his sister that summer before their second year.

"One day, she comes home and says 'Harry asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes' and then the following year she told us about you breaking up with her to keep her safe. When I saw how you were looking at her when you got here for the wedding, I knew that you loved her."

"I did, very much. I still do." Arthur knew that. He had watched Harry, patiently and lovingly, comfort his daughter when Fred died.

Harry was quiet for a moment, taking in all of what Arthur told him.

"Now that you have a daughter, you'll learn what it's like. That little redheaded princess has captured your heart. I can tell. I've seen it many times before this with the others. You'll be the only man in her life, the only man who can make her smile, makes her happy. Then one day, you'll realize she's given her heart to another man and he is who makes her happy and smile. If you're lucky like me, you'll be able to hand her happiness over to him and know that he'll take care of her and makes her smile, and make her happy as you always have."

Harry felt his cheeks burn, he knew Arthur was referring to him again. Arthur placed a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "But until then, its chasing monsters out of the closet and from under the bed, kissing boo boos, holding her close when she's scared and playing tea party with her before you get to the makeup, boys, and dating."

Harry nodded, "Lucky for me that is a long way off. Lily's barely a month old, right now I'm getting used to having a daughter."

"Cherish the time you have with her now. You'll blink and she's off to Hogwarts. I should know".

For the first time since Harry learned he was going to have a daughter, he felt the anxiety leave him. Harry had fears of not being a good father, and the anxiety of that fear increased when Shanti told him and Ginny they were having a girl. But Arthur always would relinquish that fear.

"Thanks Arthur."

When Harry returned to Godric's Hollow later that day, he went straight to Lily's cot and picked her up.

"I love you baby girl, I might overreact, over worry and be overprotective of you, but always remember that Daddy loves you".

He sat in the rocking chair, gently rocking her, smiling as she cooed.

"Could you do Daddy a favor and don't grow up too fast."

Little did Harry know, Ginny was watching from the door and silently without Harry knowing, snapped a picture of the moment between father and daughter.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny folded some of Harry's T-shirts and put the up in his drawer in the bureau. She was sorting through his socks when Harry came in the room.

"Hey sweetie, what are you up to?"

Harry flopped on the bed and turned on his side, propping his head up.

"I've been thinking about the follow up appointment with Shanti tomorrow. I know she'll give us the information on the healer Shanti said would take care of" Harry patted his shirt covered stomach, "this".

Ginny sat down on the bed and reached over to move a stray hair out of his eyes.

"It's not like you're having something done tomorrow or the next day," she snaked her hand under his shirt and began to caress his side.

Harry nodded, agreeing with her. "I know, but I can't help but be a little nervous".

"Another thing we need to discuss is if we're done having children or do we want at least one more" Ginny looked at Harry smiling softly. "What do you think?"

Harry sighed. "If you want another child, then we'll try for another child."

Ginny was surprised that Harry said that. She was happy with the three kids and felt they were complete. But what Harry didn't know was she worried about him the entire time he was pregnant with Lily.

She felt helpless as she watched Harry go through labor and the pain that came with it. The pregnancy tested Harry's strength and his pain tolerance. Ginny had spent many nights, rubbing his back and stomach, trying to help him sleep. She wished many times that she was still able to carry a pregnancy.

"I think we're complete. We have a girl and two boys and I feel that we're done."

Harry sat up, pulling his knees to his chest. "Are you sure?"

Ginny nodded. "We got lucky with the pregnancy with Lily. I'm afraid to push our luck."

She began to explain how concerned, she was about Harry throughout the pregnancy and how worried she was for him when he went thought labor.

"I spend nine months worrying about you and Lily," she confessed. "I would worry that I would get a floo call or an owl saying that you were rushed to St. Mungo's because something's wrong with the baby or you. I was afraid of you miscarrying and having to go through the process all over again."

Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned his head against hers.

"I was worried that something might happen during delivery. A part of me wanted to tell Shanti to just do a cesarean because I was scared for you. I didn't want to see you in pain and know there was nothing I could do. I wished many times during this pregnancy that I was still able to carry a baby so you wouldn't have to do."

This was news to Harry; he never knew Ginny felt that way. He placed his hand under Ginny's chin and turned her head towards him. He noticed her face was pink, like it was she was embarrassed.

"Gin, I chose to undergo the implantation procedure and have a sack inserted into my belly. I chose to carry a baby in my belly for nine months. I chose to endure the pain, the suffering, the nausea, stomach upsets, and the whole nine yards, to have another baby. I chose to do this because I knew how much you wanted a daughter and until we had Lily I never knew how much I wanted one until you put her in my arms."

Ginny nodded, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I'm sorry".

"You don't have to apologize. I did it, willingly" he confessed.

Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry, mindful of how tender his abdomen still was and hugged him.

"And you're right; I did see what it was like for you, like you saw and felt how it was for me".

Harry nodded mutely and asked, "So are we done? Having kids, I mean".

"I think we are," Ginny muttered against his cheek, gently kissing him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat in an exam room waiting on Shanti. Ginny was at the _Daily Prophet_ office working on a Harpies preview for the Quidditch section of the paper.

Harry didn't have to wait long until a knock came at the door and Shanti entered.

"Hello Harry, how are you?" the healer greeted.

"I'm good. I've seem to have some energy back".

"Good," she looked at the chairs and back to Harry. "This seems odd, where's Ginny?"

"At work, a preview of the new Harpies team members was due at the end of this week."

"When do you return to work?" she asked.

"Mid to late September" Harry replied.

"Okay," she waved her wand over Harry and his vitals appeared on his chart.

"Everything looks good" She said, looking over the chart. "Alright, dare I say you know the drill?"

Harry laid down on the table, pulling up his shirt. Shanti placed her hand on Harry's abdomen and ran some diagnostics before she began palpation.

"Okay, I'm going to start pressing on your belly," she warned when she finished the diagnostic charms.

She began palpating Harry's abdomen, lightly pressing over where the sack was still implanted.

"Have you and Ginny decided on if you're done and want to remove the sack or want to try for another?" she asked, conversationally, motioning for him to sit up.

"We've talked about and Gin's happy with the three. Add Teddy and we have four. In her words, we're complete".

Shanti smiled. "What about you?"

"I agree with her".

Shanti made a note in Harry's file and wrote down some information on another sheet of parchment.

"This is the healer, I was talking about, Healer Brown. I've referred him to most of my male pregnancy patients. They all were satisfied with his work."

Harry took the parchment from Shanti. He knew that surgery or some type of transfiguration would need to be done to get his abdomen back to its flat and smooth normal self.

"I will be assisting him in the removal of the sack. Once that is complete, Healer Brown will take over."

"Okay". Harry knew he would need to talk to Ginny before they made an appointment.

"Can I discuss this with Ginny and get back to you?"

"Sure, take all the time you need, there is no rush" Shanti assured him.

After discussing the procedure in which Shanti would remove the sack, she said that Healer Brown will take over from there.

"I want to see you again after the surgery; I'll get with Healer Brown when you and Ginny set up the surgery date."

"Okay".

After checking out with the welcome witch, Harry flooed to the _Daily Prophet_ office.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It felt good to be back in the Quidditch office at the _Daily Prophet _office to Ginny. The Quidditch season will soon be starting and Ginny would be covering the Harpies new recruits. She had just gotten back from Holyhead where she interviewed the new keeper, chaser, and beater. She also interviewed Gwenog to ask her how she thought the team will do this season.

Gwenog had surprised Ginny with a Holyhead Harpies uniform for James, Albus and Lily with Ginny's old jersey number and with 'Potter' on the back.

"Ginny?"

Ginny looked up and seen Eleanor standing in front of her desk.

"Yes?"

"Are you ready to return to work?" she asked.

Ginny nodded. "I could always work at home if I need to. James and Albus nap for two hours and Harry could handle Lily while I work."

Raven flopped down in the armchair near Ginny's desk. "How's he doing?"

"Great, he went back to Shanti for a follow up today."

"When does return to work?" Eleanor asked.

"He's supposed to sometime in September" Ginny answered, turning her chair to face her supervisor. "That is, if Shanti hadn't extended it".

She went on to explain that Harry was looking at the possibility of having surgery to make corrects to his abdomen after having Lily.

The door opened and Harry leaned in from the doorway. He made eye contact with Ginny and crooked his finger at her in a _come here _gesture. Wordlessly, Ginny got up, exited the room, shutting the door behind her and followed Harry to a private room.

"Well, how did it go?" Ginny asked once they were alone.

"She gave me information on Healer Brown. She said that everything is fine and is healed. She said that she would assist Healer Brown in the surgery and remove the sack while I'm under, whatever they knock me out with."

"So, we'll have something to discuss. I assume you said that we'll discuss this and decided if this something we want to do now?"Ginny asked.

Harry slowly nodded, looking down at his feet. "Yeah," he deadpanned.

"Hey," Ginny lifted Harry's chin to look him in the eyes. "This is not happening tomorrow. We'll contact Healer Brown and make an appointment and go from there, okay".

"Okay". Harry looked at with a forced smile, but Ginny could see that this surgery scared Harry. Harry was awake during the cesarean and this time they would be putting him to sleep. The idea of surgery scared Harry and Ginny knew that.

Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry in a hug, which he returned.

"It'll be okay, I promise."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat in the exam room of Healer Brown, the healer who Shanti recommended for the procedure that would take care of the excess skin on Harry's abdomen. The room was similar to the ones in Holly and Shanti's office, but that didn't help calm Harry's nerves.

Upon entering the waiting room, Harry realized that Healer Brown was a magical Plastic Surgeon, judging by the before and after pictures that lined the walls. Some were the simple Muggle procedures like a nose job or like what Harry was considering….a tummy tuck.

Ginny had accompanied Harry to the appointment, offering support and comfort.

Now Harry sat on the exam table with the pale green gown on. The only difference was that opening that usually went in the back was fronting the front.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked.

"Fine," was Harry's automatic answer. Ginny got up from her seat and walked to the exam table.

"Are you scared to have this done?" the look on Harry's face was her answer.

"What if it doesn't work, what if I don't ever get back to where I was."

"I know. You're all ready self conscious about it. It will be okay, sweetie." Ginny leaned toward him and kissed his forehead.

She went back to her seat when there was a knock at the door and a middle aged man entered.

"Hello, I'm Healer Brown. You must be Harry," Healer Brown greeted as he offered his hand to Harry, which Harry took and shook politely.

He turned to Ginny, "and who you must be Mrs. Potter".

"Ginny," She said as she shook the healer's hand.

"So, I understand that we're interested in an abdominoplasty, otherwise known as a tummy tuck".

"Correct," Ginny answered. The healer turned to Harry.

"I have to say that I admire a man who would go through a nine month pregnancy so you and your wife can have a baby. Was this your first?"

"Third, our only daughter," Harry answered. "Shanti said that you did her other patients as well?"

Healer Brown nodded, "Yes, I did. There were some men who I have seen once they were recovered from their pregnancy to see about how to get their pre-pregnancy body back."

Harry started to relax some, feeling that he was in safe hands.

"Okay, so let's see what we're working with. Stand at the foot of the table and undo the gown."

Harry followed the healer's request and stood at the foot of the table and opened the gown. Healer Brown rolled toward Harry on a rolling stool. He gently prodded the area, gently pushing and pulling on the skin.

"This is actually not the worst one I've seen. You only carried one baby. I've seen an abdomen on a man who carried two, twins."

Ginny's eyebrows shot up. "What does this surgery entail?" she asked,

Healer Brown turned Harry to face Ginny.

"I'll make the incision under all of this, here," the healer motioned to Harry's hips. "It will go across, and then I'll pull this down and remove the skin. The incision is down here so it could be hidden under clothes. So this way, you could walk around shirtless without the scars showing. Make a new hole for his belly button and then I'll close the incision."

Healer Brown paused for a minute before he continued. "Since Harry is also having another procedure done, I'll allow Healer Willis to remove the sack before I fix the abdominal muscles".

He turned to Harry. "Lay down on the table and I'll have a look at your abdomen".

Healer Brown made some notes in Harry's file, as he did so, he explained, "I usually perform an abdominal exam so I can get a feel of my patient's abdomen and see if I need to do any muscle repair".

"Can you by any chance create a six pack?" Harry asked causally.

Healer Brown laughed. "If I had a sickle each time a patient asked that," he muttered before he said "That's up to you, I just get you back to the flat abdomen as you once had."

"Darn".

"Okay, I'm going to press on your abdomen, tell me if anywhere feels uncomfortable or tender".

"Okay."

Healer Brown began palpating Harry's abdomen. He began on his lower abdomen and worked his way up.

"One thing I can tell is that the muscles are nice and strong. There is a place here and here" Healer Brown gestured to certain areas of Harry's abdomen, "where the muscles are split, separated."

"Would the pressure from a pregnancy cause that?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, it would," Healer Brown answered. He had completed his exam, allowing Harry to sit up.

"So, Shanti said that you were healed and we could schedule the surgery when you're ready."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, like they were having a mental conversation. Eventually Ginny nodded and Harry asked, "What's the earliest that we can schedule the surgery for?"

Healer Brown looked over his calendar and then answered, "Thursday of next week".

Harry looked back to Ginny and asked, "What do you think?"

"That's fine, what do you want to do?"

Harry mentally went through his calendar. It was now the first of September. Harry was due back to work in the middle of the month. Shanti had asked Harry to extend his time off to allow extra time for him to heal and rest before he returned to work.

"How long is recovery?" Harry asked.

"Four to six weeks, most patients can return to work after two. Since you're an Auror, I'll recommend that you take four weeks."

"I've worked throughout the pregnancy until Shanti said to cut back and then eventually I went on paternity leave. I could extend it for another few weeks if needed." Harry paused before he said, "Thursday is okay."

"Okay," Healer Brown made some notes in Harry's file and handed a packet to Ginny on after care and recovery information on an abdominoplasty, the magical version.

"You're scheduled for Thursday morning, at eight in the morning. I'll see you at St. Mungo's at six".

"Okay, we'll see you then. Have any questions, concerns, or need to reschedule, owl me," the healer said as he opened the door to exit the room.

"We will and thank you" Ginny said as she handed Harry his clothes.

After the healer left and Harry changed back into his clothes, Harry and Ginny flooed home.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry gently rocked in the swing in the backyard, watching James and Albus play on the swing set, jungle gym and then the sandbox. It was the night before Harry's surgery and Harry was nervous about the surgery.

"Sickle for your thoughts".

Harry looked up at Ginny, as she sat down beside her, holding Lily.

"Mum will be here in the morning. She said she will feed the kids breakfast. Dad is taking a sick day and helping her. Hermione will meet me in the waiting room and she'll sit with me while you are in surgery," she explained, rocking Lily.

"Hand me Lily, it will be a while before I can hold her".

"You can hold her, just can't lift on her," Ginny informed him. She watched her husband hold Lily, looking down at her, smiling as she cooed.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Harry looked up at Ginny, her eyes looking softly at him. He sighed and turned his attention to James and Albus. Without looking at her, he said, "I'm ready for tomorrow to be over with".

Ginny reached over and ran her fingers through his hair. She cupped the back of his head and gently pulled him over to her. She softly kissed the top of his head and whispered in his ear.

"It will be okay. You'll do fine."

Harry nodded, his eyes trained on his sons, watching them play in the sandbox, digging with the shovels and playing with the Muggle beach toys from when they went to Shell Cottage last summer and went to the beach.

"You'll take care of won't you?" Harry asked, turning to look at his wife.

"I'll take of care you and I'll love every minute of it. I promised you when we got married that I will always take care of you. I'm not leaving your side for nothing".

Harry nodded and settled back in the swing.

Later that night, Harry lifted James and Albus into his arms, hugged them and kissed them good night because it would be weeks before he could lift them again.

"Good night, Daddy loves you," he told him as he kissed them and turned off the lights. He went into Lily's room and kissed the top of her head.

"Good night Lily, Daddy loves you," and he left the room. His bag was packed, Ginny had her stuff together, and Molly and Arthur were flooing over at four the next morning. Harry had already conjured a bed for them in the family room, where they could sleep until the kids woke up.

The alarm was set to go off at four, about the time Molly and Arthur would arrive and Harry would shower and shave as Healer Brown told him to. Ginny would shave his stomach in the morning before Harry washed his belly with the soap he was given.

He laid down in his bed, allowing Ginny to snuggle close to him.

"Try and sleep tonight, we got an early start in the morning."

Harry nodded, mutely. "Good night Ginny. I love you".

"I love you too. Good night".

Harry laid there for about an hour, not able to fall asleep. His brain wouldn't shut off. He didn't tell Ginny, but he was scared of having the surgery. He was more afraid of something going wrong above anything else. But yet, he was ready for it to be over.

He felt Ginny's soft hand snake under his shirt and began to rub soothing circles on Harry's belly. Harry felt his eyes get droopy after five minutes of Ginny's massage and let sleep claim him, hoping he didn't dream about the surgery the next day.


	12. How Harry Got His Body Back

A Long Nine Months Chapter 12- How Harry Got His Body Back

The sound of the alarm buzzing woke up Ginny the next morning. She reached over Harry and turned off the alarm before Harry could get the snooze button.

It was the morning of Harry's surgery, the excess skin on his abdomen would be gone after today and then he'll rest at home for a few weeks before returning to work. Ginny knew Harry was nervous about the surgery and dreaded to see this day come. But Healer Brown, the healer who was performing the surgery, had told them that no matter how many sit ups, Harry did, the excess skin would still be there.

"Harry, sweetie, time to get up," she crooned. Soon his emerald eyes looked up into her brown ones.

"Can I sleep just a little longer?" He asked, hopefully. Ginny shook her head and tossed the covers off her husband.

"No, you've got to take a shower and wash your belly with that soap Healer Brown gave us. Up you get."

Harry grumbled his way to the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Ginny shook her head as she got up from the bed and left the bedroom. She walked into the kids rooms, checking on each one. James and Albus were fast asleep, but Lily was wide awake.

"Good morning pretty girl, how did you sleep?"She cooed.

Lily woke up a few times in the night, needed to be changed or feed. Harry had got up with her, allowing Ginny to sleep and since he had trouble getting to sleep. He fed her, rocked her, changed her nappy and then when she went back to sleep, he put her back in her cot and returned to bed before Ginny could discover he was gone.

The sound of the floo brought Ginny's attention downstairs. She looked at the clock in the hallway and saw that it was after four in the morning.

"Granddad and Grandmum are here. They are going to stay with you and your brothers today while I'm with Daddy."

Ginny slowly walked downstairs, as she was carrying her daughter and was greeted by her parents when she reached the sitting room.

"Good morning, Ginny," Molly greeted as she sat her bags down on the couch. Ginny could tell that Molly brought her knitting with her and some food with her to fix. Apparently Ginny didn't have any food at the house, which she did, having gone to the store the day before.

"Good morning Mum," Ginny returned. Before Molly could reach her granddaughter, Arthur had a hold of Lily.

"Good morning princess," Arthur cooed his granddaughter. "How are you this morning?"

Molly and Ginny smiled as they watched Arthur held Lily and then slowly and gently walk to the armchair in the family room.

"How are you dear?" Molly asked. "Do you want me to fix you something?"

Ginny shook her head slightly. "I'll eat when Harry's allowed to."

"Ginny, at least eat some toast. I don't need you starving yourself because of Harry's restrictions," Molly all but begged.

"Okay". Ginny pointed her wand to the bread box and two slices of bread went into the toaster. She ate her toast in silence, watching her Dad coo Lily and her Mum putting up the food she had fixed and brought with her. Just like when Harry and Ginny brought Lily home, Molly fixed a lot casseroles and quick fixes for Ginny so she wouldn't have to worry about dinner. Judging by the amount of food Molly was putting in the refrigerator, Ginny wouldn't have to worry about cooking for two weeks.

The creaking of the stairs brought Ginny's attention to the doorway. Harry shuffled into the kitchen, dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of his black sweatpants. Healer Brown recommended he wear something with a stretchy waist.

"Morning," he greeted, he sat beside Arthur.

"Nervous?" Arthur asked. Harry nodded his head slowly.

"More nervous about after the surgery than the surgery itself," Harry deadpanned.

Ginny came over and ran her fingers through Harry's damp hair. She knew how nervous and scared he was about the aftermath.

"I'm going to go shower, get dressed and check on the boys. We'll leave here at about 4:45. I was thinking about leaving Mum and Dad, my car and we'll drive yours. I figured you could get in and out of it easier," Ginny told her husband.

"Okay". Once Ginny left the kitchen, Molly headed to the scullery and began a load of laundry. Arthur handed Lily to Harry and told him that he would take a kip on the couch in the family room before the boys got up.

"Well, Lily, it will be a while before I can lift you. But that doesn't mean I can't hold you. I love you, baby girl".

Harry carried Lily upstairs to her room and set her down in the crib. He softly kissed her head and left the room quietly.

Molly came upstairs to collect the rest of the laundry.

"Arthur's asleep in the family room and I put Lily back in her cot. She's sound asleep. I'm going to check on the boys," he informed his mother in law.

Molly nodded and headed on to the hall bathroom where the kids' laundry hamper was. Harry went into James's room first since it was closer. Harry silently watched James sleep for a minute before he bent down and kissed the top of his head.

"I love you James. Be good for Grandmum and Granddad."

He repeated the same routine with Albus and then followed Ginny downstairs. Ginny had collected her bag and headed downstairs.

"We're leaving," Ginny told her mother. Molly embraced Harry with a tight hug.

"You'll do just fine, sweetheart," Molly whispered as she hugged him.

When they broke apart, Ginny hugged her mother, thanked for taking care of the kids and told her that she would keep her updated on how Harry was doing.

Harry and Ginny then walked out the front door, the outside lights on the porch and on the side of the garage were on and approached Harry's car as it was parked behind the SUV. Unlike Ginny's car, Harry's was a sedan. Ginny knew her father had a Muggle driver's license and decided to leave her car since it had all of the kids' car seats in it.

Harry had stopped himself from getting in the driver's side and walked around to the passenger's side. Ginny got in the driver's side and buckled her seat belt.

"You ready?" Ginny asked, before she started the car.

"I'm ready," Harry responded, not sounding so sure.

Ginny reached for Harry's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You'll be okay."

Harry nodded and buckled his seat belt. Ginny started the car and backed out of the driveway and headed towards London to St. Mungo's.

Ginny glanced at her husband, noticing that he seemed to be paler than normal. She reached over for his hand and gave him a comforting squeeze.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, even if she didn't know it would be.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny parked in the car park closest to St. Mungo's. In silence they got out of the car and walked to the mannequin that was the entrance for St. Mungo's.

"Here to see Healer Brown for surgery," Ginny told the mannequin. A minute later, they entered the lobby of St. Mungo's.

"Hello, Harry Potter, Healer Brown's patient, we're here for surgery," Ginny said to the welcome witch.

"Is the surgery, outpatient?" She demanded.

"Yes" Harry and Ginny both answered.

"Go down the hall and the waiting room should be on your left," the welcome witch explained.

"Thank you." Ginny gently turned Harry to the right and they walked down the hallway to the outpatient surgery waiting room. When they reached the room with the wall to ceiling windows, Ginny opened the door and let Harry in first.

There was a man who looked to be Arthur's age sitting in the corner flipping through yesterday's _Daily Prophet_, and a few women and men sitting off to one side, talking quietly.

"Good morning, which one is our patient?" The witch at the desk asked.

"He is," Ginny responded, motioning to Harry before he said anything.

"Who is performing the surgery?" The witch asked, beginning to fill out a form.

"Healer Brown," Harry replied.

"Are you the eight o'clock abdominoplasty, otherwise known as a tummy tuck?"

"Yes," Ginny answered, noticing Harry suddenly became silent.

"Okay, I'll need some information. Name?"

"Harry James Potter," Harry answered.

"Age?"

"28"

"Date of Birth?"

"July 31st, 1980."

"Emergency contact?"

"My wife, Ginevra Potter."

After another twenty minutes of questions, Ginny sat down in the second seat, realizing when the witch asked about Harry's health history that they would be there awhile.

After ten minutes of explaining Harry's health history, (including pregnancy, labor and delivery), the witch placed a hospital bracelet on Harry's wrist and they went into the main part of the waiting area and sat down.

"Nervous?" Ginny asked after some time had passed.

"Very," Harry answered. He looked at Ginny and leaned his head onto her shoulder. She wrapped a comforting arm around him and whispered words of comfort and telling him that everything is going to be okay.

"Harry Potter?"

Harry looked at Ginny for a second before he got up and followed the mediwitch to the pre op area, Ginny following right behind him.

The mediwitch motioned for Harry to enter the small cubicle with a bed, two chairs and medical equipment.

"Mrs. Potter, if you would wait out here until Mr. Potter changes," the mediwitch intoned to Ginny.

"Why?" Ginny asked. "I've seen him naked and it's nothing I haven't seen before". She smiled, smothering a giggle at the mediwitch's look of bewilderment.

"Healer Brown will be right with you as well as Healer Willis." The mediwitch left, blinking as if she was in daze.

"Did you really have to do that?" Harry asked when Ginny pulled the curtain to give Harry some privacy.

"Hey, you did that the mediwitches and the welcome witches in Shanti's office," Ginny said, defensively.

"I only did that to toughen them up for the barbarian horde that is the rest of the family. Especially Bill and George. Those two could turn anyone into a pile of goo with their verbal sparring ability," Harry explained.

Harry took off his trainers and then his socks. His sweatpants and T-shirt followed and slipped the gown on.

"Are you feeling okay?" Ginny asked, noticing how quiet Harry was.

Harry leaned back against the pillows, looking down at his bare feet, wiggling his toes. "I'm okay."

Before Ginny could say anything else, Shanti came into the cubicle.

"Good morning," the healer greeted. "How are we doing?"

"Fine, nervous, ready for it to be over," Harry answered, laughing nervously.

"You're not the first patient to be nervous. We'll get you a calming draught if you need one?"

Harry shook his head slowly. "I'm good."

Healer Brown entered the cubicle, carrying Harry's thick file.

"Good morning, Hello Healer Willis," he greeted. "Are we ready for today?"

"Yeah," Harry deadpanned.

"Okay, if you could, stand in front of me and I'll mark you for the surgery."

Harry stood up from the bed and walked to where the healer was sitting on the rolling stool. Healer Brown pulled up the gown and Harry held it up so the healers could discuss their plan.

"Healer Willis, you'll begin with the removal of the uterus like sack?"

Shanti nodded. "It's located, right here." She placed her hand under Harry's navel. "I'll let you make the incision where you need to and then I'll make an incision in the muscle underneath and remove the sack. That part should take thirty to forty five minutes. Then I'll let you tighten the muscle since I'm making a vertical incision."

"Then I'll take over and Shanti will come out and talk to you to let you know that that part of the operation is over and I've begun the tummy tuck," Healer Brown informed Ginny. He picked up his marker and lifted up the saggy skin of Harry's belly.

"We'll make the incision here and circle around to pull down the skin. The bonus is that the scars from the caesarean and the birth canal will be gone. After Healer Willis is finished as she said, I'll tighten the muscles and then remove the excess skin. Then I'll make a new hole for the navel and close the incision," Healer Brown explained, as he drew the line for the incision on Harry's lower abdomen.

"Any questions?"

Harry shook his head and Ginny said that she didn't have any she could conceive of.

"Okay, we'll get ready to head back in about ten minutes."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ten minutes later found Harry and Ginny, waiting in the pre op holding room where they were waiting for Harry to be taken in for surgery.

After Shanti and Healer Brown, left, a mediwitch came in and began an IV in Harry's right hand. Then another healer came in and discussed anesthesia or sleeping draught options.

After that, another mediwitch came in and moved them to the pre op holding room.

"Ginny?"

"What is it sweetie?" Ginny replied softly.

"I'm scared."

Ginny looked at her husband and the look on his face was enough to tell her that he was scared to have the surgery.

"It's all right. You'll be just fine. You've made through surgeries before. And I'll take care you."

Harry swallowed thickly and turned to look at Ginny. "I think the calming draught is kicking in now." A calming draught was injected into Harry's IV when the mediwitch begun the IV.

"Are you scared now?" she asked.

"Not really."

Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry on the forehead, crinkling the blue surgical cap was on his head.

"Are you ready Mr. Potter?" a mediwitch asked.

"As I'm going to be," Harry intoned. He looked up at Ginny, "I love you."

"I love you too." Ginny kissed him and took his glasses and placed them in his case she had in her purse.

"We'll take good care of him," Shanti said to Ginny before she followed the floating stretcher.

"I know."

A second mediwitch asked Ginny to follow her and she led Ginny to the surgery waiting room, a different waiting room than the one, Harry and Ginny were in earlier.

"You'll wait in here while your husband is in surgery."

"Thank you." Before the mediwitch said anything else, Ginny added, "and I know where the tea room is. I've been here more times than I care to count." The downside of being married to an Auror and having an accident prone husband.

Ginny found a seat in the middle of the room and sat down. She leaned over, placing her head in her hands and hoped that everything will be alright and that Harry did fine in the surgery.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Ginny?"

At the sound of her name she looked up and found Hermione, standing beside her with a to go tray of tea and a bag that had a smell of something from a bakery.

"Hey Hermione," Ginny greeted. They had done this routine dozens of times. The downside of being an Auror's wife.

"When did they take him back?"

"Five minutes ago." Ginny moved her bag and coat out of the way and the bag with Harry's clothes in the chair to her right so Hermione could sit down.

"I stopped at the coffee shop and got us some tea and something to nibble on."

Ginny laughed softly. Hermione and Ginny visited the coffee shop down the street from St. Mungo's whenever Harry or Ron were taken to the hospital.

Hermione and Ginny settled into their seats, drinking their tea and munching on the mini muffins that Hermione had picked up with the tea.

"How was last night?" Hermione asked curiously. She and Ginny were in the same boat, having a newborn at home. It's been an adjustment for everyone.

"Well, James and Albus went to sleep quickly and stayed asleep. Lily was up and down half the night, Harry got up with her. He thinks I don't know that, but I did. Lily was awake and alert this morning when I checked on her."

Hermione listened, nodded every now and then. "Are Molly and Arthur watching them?"

Ginny nodded, stifling a yawn. "Yeah, Mum and Dad arrived at my house at four this morning."

Hermione sipped on her tea she had brought with her that morning, bringing a cup for Ginny. The tea at St. Mungo's left something to be desired.

"Mum's got my two. I didn't want to overwhelm Molly by adding my two to the mix," Hermione mused.

"Mum wouldn't have cared. If all of us dropped the kids off at the Burrow and went out to dinner, she would love it," Ginny laughed. It was no secret that Molly loved being a grandmother.

Hermione and Ginny sat in silence for a while until Hermione said, "So Mum's decided to retire."

Ginny looked at Hermione, a look of surprise on her face. "What brought this one?"

Hermione sighed and said, "She says it's time. She's having a hard time, letting go of the practice, but she wants to retire. I've talked to a few of her clients and they've told me that Mum's heart doesn't seem to be in it since Dad died. That's why she's having a hard time selling the practice. It's something she and Dad built from the ground up."

Ginny listened to Hermione talk. If it wasn't Harry or Ron that Hermione would talk to, it was Ginny.

"Didn't she have a hard time selling her house for the same reason?" Ginny asked gently.

"Yes. She kept seeing Dad in his chair in the sitting room or at the dining table. She couldn't sleep in her bedroom, she had moved to the guest room. After Ron and I got married and had Rosie, she decided that the house was too big for just her. Luckily, my cousin and her husband were looking for a house and offered to buy it. This way, Mum could go visit and see Dad's garden. Denise keeps it up like Dad did."

"Has she found a place yet?" Ginny asked Hermione. Jane had moved in with Ron and Hermione, at their invitation and had searched for a place of her own since. Rosie was just a month old when Jane moved into Ron and Hermione's house.

"She found a small house, actually down the road from me. I could walk there in fifteen minutes and be there five in the car. It's perfect for her and if Ron, me and the kids had to stay with her, there would be room. It's three bedrooms."

"Oh, so is she ready to move?"

Hermione paused, finding her words. "She's been slowly packing when she has time. She told me that she's going to miss living with us and it will be an adjustment, especially for Rosie. She's used to Mum giving her a bath and spending time with her in the evenings. She'll miss her

Nana time."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I'm happy for her. I've loved having her at home. She's been a huge help, cooking, cleaning. She said that when she retires, she wants to watch Rosie and Hugo full time. Maybe let Molly watch them when she can't or she's unable to."

Ginny nodded, "I could understand that. Mum and Dad are the only grandparents, my kids have. But you still have your Mum, so you have someone to fall back on."

"I know." Hermione knew how hard it was for Harry to not have his parents see his children grow up. But Harry had plenty of stories people have told him about his parents to share with his children.

The two women sat in silence; the only sound was the quiet conversations from the other occupants of the waiting room and the scratching of a quill on the welcome witch's desk.

"So, is Harry also having that...?" Hermione trailed off.

"Yes, Shanti's doing it first and then Healer Brown was going to do his procedure."

Hermione nodded and sipped at her tea. Ginny looked at the table across the room and went over to look at the magazine selection. She picked up a _Good Witchkeeping _and a _Witch Weekly. _

Hermione snorted, remembering something.

"Do you know what Harry and Ron do with those magazines Shanti has in her office?"

"No," Ginny answered.

"They compare which one has, the more unrealistic view of parenthood and then draw, the more realistic things like spit up stains, toys on the floor, and any or all manner of chaos that comes with having a child."

Ginny laughed. She remembered looking through her parenting magazine she had picked up at the grocery store and when she flipped through the second time, Harry had drawn on nearly every picture, including dark circles under the mother's eyes that graced the cover.

"I know. We've had to wait on Shanti a few times and I would flip through one and Harry and I would discuss how realistic that the pictures were."

The women got quiet again, flipping through the magazines, often commenting on an article or an advertisement.

Ginny happened to look at the clock and realized that she had been sitting there for an hour.

"Shanti said her part should only take thirty to forty five minutes and then she was going to come and speak with me while Healer Brown took over."

Hermione looked at the clock and then to the door that lead to the recovery and pre op area. The door opened and Shanti stepped out in surgical scrubs and scanned the room for Ginny.

"Ginny." Hermione tapped Ginny's shoulder. The red headed witch looked up and let out a small sigh of relief. Shanti walked over and pulled the chair across from Ginny.

"Hello, Hermione, I didn't know you would be here."

"I thought I'd keep Ginny company," the bushy headed witch explained.

Before Ginny asked, Shanti said, "Harry did good in my part of the surgery, I removed the sack. It came out with no problems. Healer Brown was started his part and he should be done in about two hours or so."

"Okay." Ginny let out the breath she had been holding.

"There was no damage to his bowels or other organs and the sack came out smoothly. Healer Brown closed the incision since he was tightening Harry's abdominal muscles."

"Thanks Shanti."

"You're welcome, I'll check on him before you take him home."

After Shanti left, Ginny felt that part of a weight had been lifted. Then she remembered what Harry had asked Healer Brown during his consultation appointment and busted out laughing, causing Hermione to look her sister in law, puzzled.

"What's so funny?" She demanded.

"Shanti mentioned Healer Brown tightening Harry's abdominal muscles. Harry asked Healer Brown when he was examining his abdomen if he could create a six pack."

Hermione smothered a laugh, her lips curving into a smile. She may not have been laughing, but her shoulders were shaking.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It had been an hour since Shanti came out and talked to Ginny after she completed her part of the procedure. Hermione had visited the gift shop to pick up a more up to date copy of _Good Witchkeeping, Witch Weekly, Quidditch Weekly and Which Broomstick._

Another hour passed as Ginny and Hermione sat in their seats, flipping through magazines or reading a book (in Hermione's case). The door from the main corridor opened and Angelina came in.

"Hey, do we know anything?" She asked as she sat down across from Hermione and Ginny. She stopped by to see if there was any news on Harry. She had been in contact with Molly and there had been no update since Ginny had talked to Shanti. Ginny had floo Molly to let her know that one procedure was complete and they were waiting for the second to finish.

"No, no one has told me anything new," Ginny answered. Angelina had also stopped and got some tea at the same coffee shop.

"You know what this reminds me of?" Hermione began, accepting tea from Angelina.

"What?" Ginny asked her.

"This reminds me of that mission the boys went on when they arrested you know who."

Ginny nodded, knowing what Hermione was talking about. She would never forget the hours of waiting her and Hermione had spent in the other surgery waiting room, awaiting word on their husbands.

Angelina leaned over and whispered, "Was this when they arrested Rita Skeeter?"

Both Hermione and Ginny nodded. Angelina sat back, flipping through the Quidditch magazine that Ginny had handed her.

The three women enjoyed each other's company until Angelina had to get back to her children whom she left with George at the joke shop.

Ginny told her that she would firecall her when they got home and if she needed anything.

Hermione glanced at her watch and realized that Angelina had been there for an hour and a half. She told Ginny this and they started to do the math on how long Harry's surgery had been and how much longer it would be.

"Potter?"

Ginny got up and walked to the welcome witch.

"Your husband is out of surgery and Healer Brown will be out to talk to you in a minute."

"Thank you," Ginny breathed. She walked back to Hermione to tell her that Harry's surgery was over.

Ginny had just sat back down when Healer Brown came out and Ginny stood up again. Healer Brown walked over to where Ginny and Hermione was sitting.

"Hello Ginny," the healer greeted, like Shanti, he was dressed in surgical scrubs.

"Hello. This is my sister in law, Hermione," Ginny introduced the healer to Hermione.

"Hello. Can we talk?" He asked Ginny.

"Sure," Ginny nodded.

"The surgery was a success. We had no problems whatsoever. We took off about two in a half pounds of skin, tighten and repaired his abdominal muscle and made a new hole for his navel. He's in recovery now, we'll let you know when he's been moved to the post op room."

"Okay, thank you."

Once the healer left, Ginny turned to Hermione and let out a sigh of relief. They settled back in their seats and waited until they were called back to see Harry.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

An hour later, the welcome witch called, "Family of Harry Potter."

Ginny collected her bags and followed the healer with Hermione behind her. The witch led them a cubicle, like the one Harry was in earlier. Ginny walked in and sighed in relief.

Harry was still asleep, his hair was wilder than she had ever seen it and he propped up on pillows. Ginny walked over to Harry's right side and gently ran her fingers through his hair. Harry cracked his eyes up at the contact.

"Hello sweetheart," she greeted.

"Hi," Harry replied, groggily.

"Are you feeling?" She asked softly.

"Like I've been run over by the Knight bus. My stomach feels like Yonas used it has a punching bag."

Ginny winced at the pained expression on her husband's face as he tried to move to a more comfortable position. He laid back against the pillows and closed his eyes.

"Ginny," Harry croaked.

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna be sick."

Ginny grabbed the basin Hermione rushed to her and got it under Harry's chin just before he started throwing up.

Once Harry was done, Ginny moved the basin out of the way, but still in her reach and handed Harry a cup of water.

"Rinse your mouth out and I'll get you some water to drink."

Harry rinsed his mouth out and handed the cup back Ginny. Ginny gave Harry another cup of water and helped him take slow sips.

Healer Brown walked in and looked over Harry's chart and then looked at his patient, noticing the green tinge.

"Post op nausea?"

Ginny nodded yes. "It should be in his file."

Healer Brown flipped through Harry's file and nodded. "Yes, it says prone to extreme nausea and vomiting after sleeping draught or anesthesia."

Ginny watched Healer Brown make a few notes in Harry's file before he approached the bed and pulled up Harry's hospital gown.

"I'm going to have a quick look and when we'll let you rest here for a little bit before we let you go home."

Healer Brown gently pulled back the bandage and Ginny let her jaw drop at the sight of her husband's now flat belly.

"He'll need to wear a compression garment for a while. He'll need to sleep like this," the healer motioned to how Harry was positioned in the bed. "And he'll need to take it easy. The first week is the toughest."

Healer Brown made a final note and closed Harry's file, replacing it in the holder on the wall.

"I'll see you in an hour. We'll let him rest, see how well he's doing before we let him go home."

Ginny nodded and settled in the seat beside Harry's bed. She watched as Harry drifted off to sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry's sleep, as it transpired, only lasted five minutes when a wave of nausea washed over him and he got Ginny's attention to hand him a basin.

Ginny soothingly rubbed her husband's back as he threw up in the basin. When Harry finished, he leaned against Ginny's shoulder, allowing her to clean his face off.

The mediwitch who was in charge of Harry's care had informed Ginny that Harry had vomited three times in recovery. Since Harry seemed to be fully awake, to help settle his stomach, the mediwitch gave Harry a stomach calmer, which helped a lot.

"How's your stomach feeling?" Ginny asked, an hour after Harry took the stomach calmer.

"Still a little queasy."

Healer Brown and Shanti came in and checked on Harry once an hour, checking to see if Harry was bleeding from his incision.

Hermione had left, telling Ginny to let her know if she needed anything, heading to the Ministry to update Ron in person and to meet him for lunch before returning home.

After he had been in post op for an hour, Shanti said that they would try to see if Harry could walk to the bathroom. Ginny moved the pillows out of the way, gently helping Harry turn to the side so he could stand up.

"Easy," Ginny soothed. Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny's and gripped her upper arm.

Harry gasped at the sharp pain in his stomach. "Gin, can we go slowly?"

Ginny nodded and slowly helped Harry to stand and lead him to the bathroom.

Now that the surgery was behind them, Ginny now had to take care of Harry as he recovered. She just hoped that his recovery was quick.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"His vitals have been stable for two hours, he's not bleeding now and he doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain," Healer Brown informed Ginny. "He's ready to go home."

Ginny then listened to Healer Brown's instructions on taking care of Harry for the next week.

As Healer Brown was giving Ginny the aftercare instructions, a mediwitch was unhooking Harry's IV.

"These are some pain relieving potions for pain, he can take a dose every six hours if needed," Healer Brown explained, handing her the bag of potions. "Owl me or floo me if you need something stronger than that or if it causes any stomach distress."

Ginny put the bag of potions in her purse, along with the parchment with the aftercare instructions.

"Thank you."

Ginny helped Harry change back into his sweat pants and his oversized tee shirt. Once he was dressed and got his socks and shoes on, Harry moved to the armchair, waiting for Healer Brown to bring the discharge papers.

"Ready to go home?" The healer asked, signing the form and handing it to Ginny for her to sign.

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed. Ginny helped him get up from the bed and they walked slowly down the hall to the exit and the car park.

Ginny opened the passenger door and helped Harry in the car. She walked around the car and got in the driver's side, getting in and drove home to Godric's Hollow

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Molly had taken Lily and Albus home with her, while Angelina volunteered to take James. They would keep them for a week to give allow Harry have Ginny's full attention.

Ginny parked the car behind the SUV and got out. "Wait for me to get around before you get out," she told Harry.

She walked around the car and helped Harry out of the car. Slowly they walked to the front door and Ginny unlocked the house, opening the door. She led Harry to the couch in the sitting room.

"Sit there for a second while I unload the car and I'll help you to the couch in the family room."

"I'll be here," Harry told her.

Ginny went out to the car, collected her bags and the bucket she brought with her incase Harry got sick on the way home. She placed the bucket on the kitchen table and sat her bags down. She walked back into the sitting room and approached her husband.

"Okay, on the count of three, you're going to stand up, ready?" She asked. Harry nodded. "One, two, three," She counted. On three, Harry slowly and gently lifted himself off the couch and they shuffled to the family room.

"Need anything?" Ginny asked, covering Harry up with the blanket.

"I'm okay," Harry responded. He propped himself up on some pillows and laid back, falling asleep.

Ginny went into the kitchen and fixed herself a quick lunch and brought Harry some water. She then went into the family room, turning the TV on low and started watching a midday talk show.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry woke up, needing to use the bathroom. "Ginny?!" He called, wincing at the sharp pain in his abdomen.

"Yes?" Ginny asked as she came back from unpacking her bags she had taken with her to the hospital.

"I need to use the bathroom," Harry informed her. Ginny walked over and moved the pillow she placed under his knees.

"Go slowly, it hurts," Harry requested.

"Are you ready?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, one, two, three," Ginny helped slowly pull Harry into a sitting position. Harry winced at the pain and slowly turned his body to the left to get off the couch. Ginny helped him stand up.

"I think I can manage by myself." Ginny nodded, following him a few steps behind Harry. She closed the door to the bathroom, letting Harry know she'll be outside the door if she needed him.

Harry came out a few minutes later and shuffled back to the couch.

"Any one home?" Someone called from the back door.

"Family room!" Ginny called back. She heard footsteps and then saw her brother standing in the doorway

Ron came in the family room as Harry sat back down on the couch.

"Hi Ginny, I thought I'd come by and check on Harry."

"How sweet of you," Ginny commented. "I'll leave you two alone."

"How are you feeling?" Ron asked as he sat down on the couch across from Harry.

"I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach. I have muscle spasms and cramps and they hurt. I also have incision pain, feels like thousands of little needles are poking me," Harry explained.

Ron winced as Harry talked, feeling sorry that Harry was in from what it sounds like, a lot of pain.

"Is it worth it?" Ron asked, finding a new found respect for his best mate, not for the first time.

Harry thought for a moment before he answered, "Yes, it's worth it."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry looked around his office one final time before zipping his bag shut. He picked it up and placed it next to his boots by the door.

Tomorrow will be his first day back to work since before Lily was born. When his paternity leave ended, he switched to medical leave due to recovering from the tummy tuck. He was looking forward to going back to work, after being away for so long.

Luckily Ron was kind enough to bring paperwork to Harry from the office or Harry would send Ginny to the Ministry for any work regardless of what it was. But it was because of the fact that Harry had worked on some things from home that it lessened his workload when he did return to the office.

He would have been back sooner, but Shanti, Holly, and Healer Brown all suggested that he take as much time as necessary. It didn't help that Kingsley, Ron and Ginny were on the same page as the healers.

Harry climbed the stairs heading to his bedroom, but he paused when he walked up the stairs. Lily's room was the first door on the right. A habit Harry had picked up was to check on the kids before he went to bed himself when he came home from missions.

He walked quietly in the baby's room and smiled gently at his snoozing daughter. He still couldn't believe he had a daughter, a little girl of his own. He never will admit to anyone how jealous he felt as he watched his brother in laws with their daughters. Arthur had told him once that a father's relationship with his daughter will be the most special one of all.

Just when Harry thought that he would never have a daughter, fate stepped in and gave him one. Ginny never could thank him enough for carrying her. Lily will never really know the sacrifices Harry had made and how much he went through to bring her into the world.

He leaned over the side of the cot and softly kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Good night, princess. Daddy loves you."

He quietly left Lily's room and went next door to James's room.

Harry walked quietly to James's bed, where the boy was sprawled out on the bed, his dragon bedspread over him. Harry knew, despite the fact that James was four years old, he would be a combination of his namesakes and his father. He had already seen the trouble maker come out in his eldest son. Harry never thought he'd see the day he would have a child, let alone a son.

Ginny knew of his dream of having a family. She decided when her contract came up for renew after a total of four years with the Harpies that she would move on and write about Quidditch instead of playing it. When asked why she decided to quit playing Quidditch, Ginny responded by saying that she felt that it was time and that she was ready to start a family. Harry had no idea that that was the reason why Ginny decided to retire. To say that Harry was stunned by Ginny's decision, would be an understatement.

Harry pushed back the fringe on James's head and kissed his forehead. "Good night, buddy. Daddy loves you."

After tucking in James's blanket, Harry headed towards Albus's room. He backtracked to Lily's room, crossing the corridor to his and Ginny's room, passing the kid's bathroom and into Albus's room.

Albus was the splitting image of his father. When Harry went back to the house in Godric's Hollow, he recovered some baby pictures of himself. He boxed them up and moved them to the attic upstairs. Ginny had found one of Harry when he was just a few days old and compared it to Albus. Unfortunately for Ginny, Albus was all Harry, personality and all. But Albus was clingy to Ginny, the apparent "Mama's boy."That didn't mean thought, that would let Harry cuddle, snuggle or hug him.

"Good night, kiddo. Daddy loves you." Harry kissed his forehead and left the room quietly. He didn't have Teddy, so there was no need to trek up the stairs to the attic.

He quietly went into his bedroom, where Ginny was propped up against the pillows, reading a parenting book.

"The kids are asleep," Harry informed her. Ginny pushed back the cover and Harry climbed into bed. He turned over to face Ginny.

"Nervous about returning to work?" Ginny asked him, curiously.

"Not really."

Ginny marked her place in her book and placed it on her nightstand. She flicked her wand at the lights and the room went dark with only the dim light from the master bathroom and the moonlight from the windows.

"Good night, Harry. I love you."

Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry good night, "Sleep well."

"I think I will," Harry stated. "I love you too. Good night."

Harry turned over, checked the alarm on his side of the bed and laid there until his eyes got droopy and he fell asleep.

**AN: For more on Harry's recovery, stay tuned for the one shot in A Long Nine Months- One shots, coming soon. **


	13. Return of the Routine

A Long Nine Months Chapter 13 Returning to the Routine

The alarm beeped softly, becoming increasingly louder until a hand reached out and laid heavily on the snooze button. The hand then returned from under the bedcovers from which it had emerged.

Ginny turned over, snuggling against Harry's warmer body. She would snuggle up to him on cold nights and stick her cold feet on him, especially on the nights when he just wore boxers to bed. She would laugh silently as he exclaimed that her feet were like ice cubes on his warm legs.

She reached her hand over and ran her hand over the side of his body, until she reached the waistband of his boxers. She dipped her hand under the waistband, running her fingers along his lower abdomen, tracing the line that was the scar from the tummy tuck. Ginny moved her hand out from Harry's boxers and laid her palm over his navel. She then ran her hand up and down the now flat belly.

She then moved her hand from side to side, her fingertips grazing his sides. Harry jerked when Ginny reached a ticklish area.

"Gin, don't start something you can't finish," Harry murmured, voice husky with sleep.

"I was trying to wake you up," Ginny replied.

"If you wanted to wake me up, you could have sent James in here. He knows how to give a wake up call."

Ginny chuckled. Before Harry was pregnant with Lily, James would come in and jump on the bed and then on Harry, regardless if the young father was lying on his back or stomach.

"Okay, time to get up." Ginny pushed the covers off herself and slid on her dressing gown. She walked to the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, "You better be out of bed by the time I come back."

As soon as the door to the bathroom closed, Lily began to work herself into a wail. Harry got up and headed to Lily's room. He reached into the cot and picked up his daughter.

"And good morning to you too" Harry muttered, carrying Lily to the changing table and began to change her diaper.

"Oh, good, a wet nappy. Keep saving the dirty ones for Mummy," he requested. After he changed Lily's nappy he laid her in her swing and set to swing for about five minutes, giving Harry enough time to wash his hands from the nappy change.

Ginny peeked in the room after Harry had returned, smiling at her slumbering daughter as Harry covered her with the pink blanket Molly had knitted.

"She'll be alright for a little bit," she whispered. "Let's go downstairs and start breakfast."

Harry nodded and followed her out the door and down the stairs. An owl was waiting for them when they entered the kitchen. Ginny opened a jar with owl treats and reached into a bowl for some knuts and paid the owl for the morning's issue of _the Daily Prophet. _

Harry fixed two cups of hot tea, handing one to Ginny. In the seven years they have been married, Harry still could make her tea the way she liked it. No cream, two cubes of sugar and one ice cube to cool it down just a tad.

"What time do you need to be in the office?" Ginny asked.

Harry sat down in his chair at the table. "Nine."

They sat in silence, enjoying the quiet before James and Albus get up. Ginny loved her time with Harry in the morning before the kids got up and her time with him in the evenings when the kids went to bed. It was just her and Harry. They sometimes sat in silence and others, they would talk.

"What do you think about eggs, sausage and toast this morning?" Ginny asked.

Harry nodded his head in agreement, stifling a yawn. "Fine with me."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

As Ginny prepared breakfast, she sent Harry upstairs for a shower. He trekked up the stairs to their bedroom and started to pull out clothes to wear. He pulled out a maroon button up and a pair of dark navy pants. He reached in the back of the closet for his boots and tossed them next to the armchair.

He walked into the bathroom, clean boxers in hand and turned on the tab. He laid down the boxers on the counter and took off his shirt and boxers. He sat his glasses on top of his clean boxers and stepped into the warm water. He began to scrub his hair and then continued with the pattern he always used in the shower. Wash and rinse hair, face, ears, neck, arms, under arms, chest, stomach, back, one leg and foot then the other. Once he was finished, he would stand under the water for a minute to double check that he rinsed all the soap off and then he turned the water off.

Using one of the fluffier towels, Harry dried himself off and dressed in his boxers before stepping out. When he took his evening shower, he sometimes "forget" to bring clean boxers with him and would step out of the bathroom, naked, and then go to the bureau and get a pair boxers. Granted, since he was pregnant with Lily and after she was born, he had been a lot more self conscious about his body.

He stopped and looked down his stomach. With some work, he'll get the muscles back, but that didn't mean that Ginny still found him attractive. After the bandages came off and the stitches were removed, Harry had more than once found Ginny looking at his new and improved belly. He never said anything to her that he knew she was looking, but he was relieved that she still found him attractive.

Once Harry was dressed for work, he returned downstairs for breakfast. Ginny had Lily in her bouncer and the boys were in their chairs at the table.

"Good morning, Daddy," James greeted when Harry entered the kitchen.

"Good morning James." Harry took the plate Ginny handed him and placed it in front of his oldest son. Ginny placed Albus's place down, waking up the toddler.

"Good morning, Daddy" Albus said when he noticed Harry cutting up his sausage.

"I think someone needs to take an early N-A-P," Harry told Ginny, spelling nap. Sometimes Harry and Ginny had to spell certain words such as nap, bath, park or bed in order to either surprise the boys or to accomplish a task. Otherwise, there would be a battle or tantrums.

Ginny agreed, making a mental note to tell Molly to put Albus down for his nap earlier.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" Ginny asked her husband, handing him his plate.

"Why wouldn't I," Harry replied, taking the plate from her.

Ginny shrugged her shoulder. Harry sat down at his place at the table and started to eat his breakfast while reading the _Prophet. _

"I've made you a sandwich for lunch and there's some left over treacle tart. I included it with your lunch," Ginny informed Harry, fixing a bag of grapes and tossing it in the bag with Harry's lunch.

"Thanks, hon."

Harry took the last drink of his tea and took his plate to the sink. He headed upstairs where he tried to fix his hair and brushed his teeth. He grabbed his Auror robes as he left the bedroom. He stopped by the office and picked up his bag. He reentered the kitchen.

"I gotta go," he said to Ginny as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "We got the department meeting this morning."

"Have a good day, sweetie," Ginny said, kissing him goodbye. Harry then walked over and kissed Albus and James good bye.

"Be good for Grandmum, boys. See you later."

"Bye Daddy," they said in unison.

Then he turned to his daughter. "Bye baby girl, I'll see you later." She cooed in response.

Ginny met him by the floo and handed him his lunch.

"Be careful and have a good day." Ginny kissed him and straightened the collar on his shirt.

"I will, love you," Harry murmured as he kissed Ginny goodbye.

"Love you too." Ginny stepped aside to watch him go.

Harry stepped in the floo and called "Ministry of Magic!" and he was gone in a puff of green smoke.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry walked into the Atrium, and took a deep breath. He was headed to the lifts as a booming voice called, "Harry! Welcome back."

"Good morning, Kingsley."

Kingsley approached Harry and patted him on the shoulder. "Good to see you back to work. Does Ron know that you are returning to work today?" Kingsley asked.

"Yeah, I told him yesterday when we were at the Burrow. I'm going to ease myself into it. I'm not in the same shape as I was before."

Kingsley laughed. "Don't let Yonas hear you say that," he warned.

"I won't. Besides, I'm using the "my healer hasn't cleared me for physical activity such as exercise yet" excuse."

Kingsley chuckled. "I was just heading to the floos, have a meeting with the Muggle Prime Minister at nine."

Harry approached the lifts and waved to Kingsley as he left to the floos.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter," Maisy said, coming up beside him

"Thanks Maisy. Do I want to know what my office looks like?" Harry asked. He dreaded to think of what his office looked like and imagined that he would be spending the day filing and storing documents.

"Thanks to the wards you put on it, it's not too bad, but that was according to Mr. Weasley," Maisy explained. "So, how's the baby?"

Harry smiled and replied, "She's great. Ginny was keeping her at home with her and sending the boys to Molly."

"How's Ginny doing?" Maisy asked.

"She's doing well. Lily's sleeping more through the night then the boys ever did. James and Albus seemed to have taken to her well. We do have moments of jealousy, but we've seem to be doing fine."

The lift chimed, "Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Headquarters…"

"I thought Kingsley said that he was going to change that," Maisy grumbled.

"When did he say that?" Harry asked.

"I thought he said something about changing the lifts and I just assumed that the witch's voice was what he was referring to," Maisy retorted.

"Oh." Harry walked towards his office as Maisy stopped at her desk towards the front. Unlocking the door with his wand, Harry opened the door to his office and breathed a sigh of relief. Only three new boxes were added to the ones in the corner and six new purple files were on his desk.

"Not bad." Harry dropped his bag in his chair and picked up his notepad and quills. Ron would be handling this department meeting, so Harry didn't have to worry about it.

He left his office and walked to the conference room. At Harry's request, Ron didn't tell the other Aurors when Harry was returning to work.

Harry smiled mischievously and entered the conference room that was half full of Aurors.

"I'm back!" he called in a sing along voice. He was met with groans and happy 'Hello Harry' and 'Welcome back' from the Aurors.

Ron laughed at his brother in law's act. "You got their attention, mate."

Harry sat down in the seat next to the head table. "I think I did."

Ron began the meeting after the last of the Aurors arrived and they started with their Monday morning routine, reviewing the Most Wanted list, updating it and the posting the updated list.

"We're also going to do our weekly check on Knockturn Alley. Those who will be going on that raid, stay in the conference room after this meeting is over."

After discussing the schedule for the rest of the week and updating everyone on the ongoing cases, Ron dismissed them.

As Harry was packing up his notepad, Ron leaned over and whispered "You're going with us."

"Alright, I'll be ready to go when you are."

Ron collapsed in the chair next to his best mate, "How do you do?" he asked, suddenly.

If Harry was surprised, he didn't show it. "Robards eased me into it, he would give me advice and then on his last day, he told me good luck and not to stress much."

Ron gave Harry a look that said, "And you listened to that?" Harry's stress level had increased when he took the Head Auror position. The only time he was the least stressed when during his pregnancy with Lily and that was because of healer's orders.

Harry sighed. "That part of the advice I've not listened to."

"You think," Ron muttered.

"So who are we looking for now?" Harry asked, in an attempt to change the subject and to learn about the raid on Knockturn Alley.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry and Ron lead the team of twelve Aurors down the alley towards the entrance to Knockturn Alley. The presence of the fourteen Aurors made everyone stop what they were doing and watch. Some moved out of the way, observing the group as they made their way down the alley.

Before they made it to the entrance, Harry tapped the communication mirror to check in with the Aurors that were stationed there.

"Everyone is accounted for Harry, and may I add welcome back," Andrews returned through the mirror.

"Thanks, is Parker and Roberts at the back door?" Harry inquired.

"Yes, sir, and Reynolds and Wilson are back there as well. Jackson, Williams, and Samuels are stationed at the other end of the alley.

Harry stopped and motioned to four Aurors.

"McClain, Sammons, Matthews and Nickerson, stay at this entrance. Keep an eye out for any of those that are on our list. Communicate with me if there is anything thing wrong. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir" the four Auror said in unison.

Harry and Ron lead the other Aurors towards Cobb and Webb's, a store that sold items related to the dark arts.

The owner has refused to comply with Kingsley's new laws relating to the dark arts. Before Harry went on leave, Kingsley had asked him to put some Aurors undercover on Knockturn Alley for any and all illegal activity. The list the Aurors had come up was extremely long and if convicted those involved could spend years in Azkaban.

When they approached the shop, Andrews walked over causally to Harry.

"The door is locked, an Alohamora wouldn't open that," he whispered.

Harry looked at Ron, "What do you think? Blast it and then the ministry will repair the door?"

"Kingsley wouldn't care as long we arrest some of these people," Ron replied, pointing to the door with the wanted wizards behind it.

"Harry, will you do the honors?" Andrews asked.

"With pleasure."

Everyone stepped back as Harry approached the door.

"About to blast the door, stand by everyone," Ron said into the commutation mirror

Harry raised his wand and bellowed, "_Bombarda!_"

The door blasted and the people inside started running, firing off curses, but the Aurors were quicker. Luckily, there was seven of the undercover Aurors on the inside. One of them had been in communication with Harry and then Andrews.

"_Petrificus Totalus Duo!"_

"_Petrificus Totalus Tria!"_

After freezing everyone in the room, the Auror began by locating the undercover Aurors and unfreezing them. Then they began to unfreeze, disarm, and handcuff everyone involved in the illegal activity. Then one by one or two by two, they began to dissapparate to the ministry.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Those that were in the Atrium the moment the Aurors arrived said that it was a sight to behold.

Kingsley and some of the other Aurors were waiting for them to begin transportation to the holding cells or Azkaban. Some of those that were arrested were escapees and would be returning to the prison upon arrival to the ministry.

Then the Atrium broke out in applause as the Aurors, led by Harry appeared in the Atrium.

Harry handed off his prisoner to another Auror and headed to Kingsley.

"All fourteen are counted for and the three escapees are in route to Azkaban as we speak. I'm going to have Darwin and Baker accompany the senior trainees back to the scene and collect evidence. I'll be supervising along with Peters, Matthews, Samuels, and Jackson."

Kingsley chuckled. "I figured your first day back would be interesting. Tell the teams good work. See if any of them know who the ringleader of the Muggle Baiting is."

"We will, Kingsley," Harry assured him. He wanted to get to the bottom of it himself.

Harry headed to the lifts and rode to Level Two. He followed the last Auror from the raid. Applause once again exploded throughout Aurors Headquarters.

Everyone was glad that they can now mark off fourteen people on their most wanted list. Now if they could get to the bottom of the Muggle Baiting, Harry would be happy.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The smell of dinner welcomed Harry as he flooed home that evening. Harry dropped his bag off in his home office and headed for the kitchen.

"Daddy!"

He was greeted by James and Albus first who had just came in from playing outside on the patio.

"Hey boys, been good for Mummy today?"

James nodded and Albus appeared to have to think about before he too nodded.

"Go wash up and we'll eat when Mummy's got dinner ready." 

James and Albus ran for the powder room while Harry headed into the kitchen.

"Hi babe," Ginny greeted as Harry approached her.

"How's your day been?" Harry inquired as he washed his hands in the kitchen sink.

"Good, Mum came over and helped with the boys. Luna came over for tea and we got to catch up. Angelina firecalled this morning, wanting to know if I could meet her and the rest of the sister in laws for lunch on Thursday. Andromeda said that she would watch Lily and Albus and I'll send James with Fred to George."

Ginny wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "How was your first day back?"

"I timed it right," he began. "We did that raid on Knockturn Alley today. We arrested fourteen people and found the three escapees. Hopefully one of them know something about this Muggle Baiting,"

"Hopefully," Ginny repeated.

Harry leaned against his wife, taking in the peace and quiet. Then a loud coo brought his attention to the bouncer on the other table.

"I didn't forget about you," Harry told his daughter. He walked over and picked up Lily.

"And have you been a good girl for Mummy?"

"Yes," Ginny answered. "Although, she left me a lovely surprise when I got her from her nap. Any guess what that would be?"

"A yucky nappy?" Harry guessed.

"Ding, ding, you are correct. For some reason she leaves them for me," Ginny said, taking the roast out of the oven and using her wand to levitate the carrots, potatoes and peas. Another flick and the basket with the rolls appeared in the middle of the table.

Harry whispered in his daughter's ear, "Good girl."

"I heard that Potter!" Ginny exclaimed, causing Harry to jump.

James and Albus returned from the bathroom and headed to their seats. Harry placed Lily back in her bouncer and sat down at his place at the table.

Ginny filled Harry in how Albus was doing in potty training. He had a relapse a month into potty training before Lily was born and Ginny tried again. Not that they couldn't afford to have two kids in nappies, but it made life easier for Harry and Ginny.

Harry began to cut the roast and serve it on plates, starting with Ginny and working his way around to himself. He then scooped some potatoes and carrots, cutting them for James and mashing them for Albus. He scooped some peas on James's plate.

"I better not see one pea fly across the room or you'll be picking it up," he warned. James sometimes would throw food, mostly at his brother. Ginny still giggles at the memory of a baby, James flicking his spoon with baby food at Harry.

Ginny tied a bib to Albus and tucked a napkin into James's collar.

"I think I've found our second time out place," Ginny informed him, spearing a potato with her fork.

"The scullery?" Harry asked.

Ginny looked up. "How did you know?"

"I figured that was the next place, what happened?"

"James threw a block at Albus and in turn, Albus bit him."

In hopes of getting some sympathy, James pouted and showed his daddy where his brother bit him. Harry had to smother a chuckle. Then turned serious to his second son.

"Albus, why did you bite your brother?"

"He wouldn't give me the block," Albus replied, as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"The one he threw at you?" Harry guessed.

"No, another one," Ginny added.

Dinner conversation then turned to Ginny's new article for the Prophet.

"Basically, it's an advice column and I'll be answering the questions I've gotten in regards to playing professional Quidditch," she explained, picking up a carrot.

Harry looked up at her from cutting his roast. "If you have a question that says 'how did you handle separation from your spouse, significant other, etc.?' You'll reply, pack a shirt of your boyfriends or husbands and sleep in it. Make sure it smells like him or steal a bar of his soap and use it in the shower."

He smirked at his wife.

"You took a bottle of my shampoo with you on your missions," she reminded him.

"I know."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry looked left and then right before he headed to his office. His plan was to get to his office and then sneak down to the Auror's gym without Yonas seeing him.

With the coast clear, Harry headed to his office, dropping off his bag, picked up his gym bag and walked to the gym. No one was in there, so Harry headed to the locker rooms, relieved he didn't see Yonas.

"Potter!"

Harry stopped at the Congo accented voice and turned around slowly. There stood Yonas in his usual black tank top and shorts.

"I see you've been cleared. Go change and meet me in the training room," he ordered.

Harry felt his stomach twist into knots. The training room was where Yonas trained the new Aurors and those who were in enrolled in the mandatory training if they didn't pass their physical. Harry hated the training room, he had dubbed it the torture chamber.

"Yes Sir." Harry walked into the locker room. He picked a stall and changed into his workout clothes. The shorts were on the small side, but he would make them work.

He entered the training room to find one mat on the floor.

"Okay, Potter, let's see what we're working with."

That was Harry's cue to lift up his shirt. He hid a smirk when he saw Yonas's shocked face. He didn't know that Harry had surgery to remove the extra skin.

"Okay, looks like we need to get the tone back. Lie down on the mat and we'll began," the Congo man ordered.

Harry walked to the mat, first sitting down on before lying down.

"One hundred sit ups on my whistle!" _TWEET!_

Harry began the sit ups as Yonas counted them off. He surprised himself when he made to fifty with miminal discomfort.

"Ninety-nine, One Hundred."

Harry dropped his knees on the mat and propped himself on his elbows to get a drink of water.

"Again," Yonas barked, causing the Auror to groan quietly

Harry began another set of sit ups, wondering just how many sets Yonas was going to make him do.

He would soon have his answer.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Stick a fork in me, I'm done," Harry muttered. Five hundred sit ups. Five hundred! That was the most he had done since he finished training.

His stomach was throbbing, his back was aching and his neck felt sore. Showering only helped relieve some of the soreness, changing back into his clothes was a difficult task, but he managed.

He shuffled his way towards the floo in his office. Sometimes he would floo home from there instead of using the floos in the Atrium.

Unfortunately, he was out of floo powder. So he walked to the Apparition point and apperated home.

He walked slowly to the front door, opening it as Ginny came downstairs, apparently having heard the crack of his apparition.

"Hey sweetie," she greeted, then noticed his wince when he sat his bag down in the chair near the door. "Are you okay?"

"I had the first training session with Yonas. Five hundred sit ups!" he groaned at the memory.

"I figured." Harry looked at his wife, confused. "Ron firecalled me and said that Yonas took you for his torture, I mean training," Ginny explained.

Harry looked around and noticed the house was quiet.

"Mum and Dad have Lily and Albus, and Angelina and George have James. I figured you would come home like this. Have you showered?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Go upstairs, I'll be up in a minute," She ordered.

Walking upstairs was difficult, but like the other times Harry came home sore and hurting from training, he made it upstairs.

He shuffled into his and Ginny's bedroom and towards his side of the bed. He all but collapsed on the bed, groaning at the pain he was feeling in his abdomen.

Ginny entered the bedroom and approached where her husband laid, sitting down at his feet.

She untied the laces of his boots and pulled them off, tossing them towards the closet. With a wave of her wand, his shirt and pants vanished and were sent to the hamper. She left his boxers on and slipped off his socks.

She then _Accio _a bottle of massage oil, the same kind she has used since their Hogwarts days. She discovered it during a Hogsmeade trip and tried it out on Harry after Quidditch practice, rubbing his shoulders, back and then his stomach.

She continued to use it to this day.

Ginny pushed back the hair that fell into her face and laid down a donut pillow and another pillow for Harry to lie on.

"Turn over on your stomach, I'll do your back first," she ordered kindly.

Harry turned over on his stomach, bedspread tickling his bare skin. Ginny laid down a donut shaped pillow for his head. Harry placed his head the pillow, taking care not to aggravate his sore muscles and laid on the pillow Ginny had laid down for him to lay on. He heard the sound of the bottle opening, then the sound of Ginny rubbing her hands together. Soon her hands were roaming his back, spreading the oil.

Once the oil was spread, Ginny began massaging his back. She began with the neck and shoulders, working out the knots she felt in his shoulder blades.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you."

She let her fingers gently work on his neck, working out the knot she felt before she moved to his shoulders. She smiled softly at his sigh of relaxation.

She worked her way from his shoulders to his lower back, letting her fingers do their magic.

Harry always bragged on how good her hands felt, considering he was on the receiving end of her massages. It didn't matter if it was a back rub or a stomach rub, after Ginny was done, Harry was more relaxed.

She stroked his back three times and then letting her hands slide down his side, kneading them gently and yet firmly. Her fingertips barley grazed his belly. She then stroked her hand down his back one more time before she had Harry turn over.

"You may flip, now."

Harry turned over on his back, as Ginny oiled her hands once more for the next message. She began like she always did, rubbing his belly in soothing circles. She knew this was where most of Harry's pain was at.

"Let me know if the pressure is too much."

Harry just sighed happily as Ginny's fingers worked their magic on his sore stomach. It was Ginny's fingers that made training, especially the physical training less torturous. Since that first session with Yonas, Harry came home to Ginny and her magical fingers.

He was introduced to Ginny's magical fingers during his sixth year when they first started dating. She rubbed his neck, shoulders and back while they lounged in the common room, after a rough Quidditch practice. That began an after Quidditch, practice and matches, of massages and rub downs. Ginny's massages relaxed Harry enough that he would fall asleep within ten minutes.

The massage routine continued after they got back together after the war and Harry's training sessions with the Auror Department.

Ginny glanced up at her husband's face as she made another circle on his abdomen. His eyes were closed, his breathing was even and deep as she felt his belly move up and down as she began a side to side stroke.

"Have I ever told you that I love you," Harry muttered.

Ginny smiled, moving her hand under his belly button, knowing it was this area was one of the areas that Harry held tension

"A little to the right," he directed.

Ginny smiled and followed Harry's instruction and moved a little to the right.

"Harry?" Her response was a snore and she smiled. As usual, her massage put Harry to sleep.

She continued the massage before she concluded and cover Harry up with a light blanket. She washed her hands in the bathroom and returned the massage oil to the cabinet.

Ginny walked back into the bedroom and approached the bed. She sat down on the bed and watched her husband sleep. He looked younger and innocent while he was sleeping. The stressed lines on his face were gone, along with the tension he carried during the day.

She laid down beside him and curled against his side, resting her hand on his blanket covered belly and her head on his bare shoulder.

She let her eyes droop and then she fell asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry sat on an armchair in the family room, flipping though the pictures Ginny had taken during his pregnancy with Lily. He watched as his stomach went from flat and muscular to swollen with pregnancy.

He looked up from the album at his little girl, who was lounging in her bouncer

It was hard to believe that the little baby girl who was currently sleeping, came out of him.

She was worth it. Worth the morning sickness, vomiting, stomach distress, stretch marks, back pain, and the nine hours of long and hard labor. Even thought the uterus like sack was removed, Harry would do it all again. But he and Ginny decided to they were finished having children, it was removed during the surgery to give Harry his pre-pregnancy belly.

His eyes roamed the ultrasound images, remembering how interesting it was to see his child on the screen, only he was on the table, feeling the wand on his stomach.

Harry turned the page and smiled at the image of James and Albus on the couch, Albus lying on his legs, his little head lying on Harry's stomach. Albus would pull up Harry's shirt and start talking to the baby. James followed, his mouth hovering an inch from Harry's belly button, talking to the baby.

On the next page was the one with him, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. Ginny had her arms around Harry, resting her hand on his bulging stomach.

He laughed when he reached the picture from the day Ginny and the boys painted his stomach. As much as he hated it, the smiles and laughs from the boys were worth it. Ginny was kind enough to give him a pillow to lie on.

"What are you looking at?" Hands slide down from his shoulders to his chest, resting them over his heart.

"I never sat down and looked thought this," Harry answered, motioning to the album.

Ginny rested her head against Harry, pressing a kiss to his head.

"I'm going to put her down on her nap," she whispered, strolling over to the baby and picked her up, and headed to the stairs.

Harry watched her go before he turned his attention back to the album. He was met with the image of his post pregnancy body.

He sat the album on the side table and headed to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and pulled up his shirt.

His pre-pregnancy belly had returned after a few sessions with Yonas, only for Harry to continue the training session himself, at least this way, he would work at his own pace and not be forced to push his limits.

Ginny loved his stomach, often running her hand over the muscles and lightly touching the ticklish areas.

The anniversary of the implanting procedure was coming up, marking a year since Harry and Ginny began the quest of baby number three George had called it.

All of his brother in laws had a new found respect for Harry after the pregnancy and labor and delivery of his daughter.

But looking at his daughter, no one would be none the wiser that she came out of Harry and not Ginny.

Harry watched his daughter sleep as he checked on her before going into his own bedroom for a nap.

"You are definitely worth it," he murmured. He kissed her head and headed towards the door. "One of these days, we'll have to tell you, but right now, we'll wait."

Harry pulled the door to and headed to his room. He no sooner lay down on the bed then he fell asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

On the day of the anniversary of the implanting procedure, Harry and Ginny looked over the photo album of Harry's pregnancy.

"I can't believe it was a year ago we began this journey," Ginny stated.

"Now, here we are, with a little girl." Harry smiled, as he turned the page, looking at a picture of him and Ginny, her hands on his bulging stomach, his hands over hers.

"I thought it would take longer to get pregnant," he confessed.

"Would you change anything?" Ginny asked.

Harry thought about over the last year. He knew it was not part of the plan that he get pregnant, carry a baby for nine months and then deliver.

"No, I wouldn't change a thing."

Ginny smiled and turned the page, smiling at the picture of Harry holding a newborn Lily. Harry wasn't paying attention to the camera, he was looking at his daughter, who had opened her eyes and looked up at her father.

"She's worth it, she was definitely worth it," Harry murmured.

That would be what Harry would tell Lily when the time came that she asked about why her Dad had to carry her.

She was worth it.

**AN: Stay tuned for the Epilogue. I've now been working on this fic for a year. Thank you to all of you, who have followed, added to your favorites and reviewed. Be on the lookout for A Long Nine Months-The One Shots….coming soon! **


	14. Epilouge

Epilogue

_Ten Months Later…_

Ginny walked through the Ministry Atrium with a screaming child. She had just left St. Mungo's for Lily's one year check up and Holly had given Lily a few immunizations.

Ginny had tried to comfort her daughter, only managing to calm her enough for a few seconds of quiet before Lily started again. Getting desperate she drove to the car park near the visitor's entrance and parked the car. She got in the booth and dialed the number

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business," the cool witch's voice said through the ear piece.

"Ginny Potter, visiting Harry Potter," Ginny shouted over her wailing child.

"Thank you," the witch returned. Ginny grabbed the badge and slipped it on her shirt one handedly and rode to the entrance.

The security guards stationed there, took pity on her and let her through. Ginny was often allowed to go through security due to Harry's status in the ministry. It was just a one of the few perks of being married to the Savior of the Wizarding world that Ginny liked, especially on days when the kids accompanied her.

One of the security guards looked at the other one. He was new in the ministry and it was his first day on the job.

"That was Potter's wife" the veteran security guard explained to the newbie.

"Head Auror Potter?" the new security asked.

The security guard nodded and sighed as the silence was returned.

However the Atrium wasn't as peaceful as Ginny entered with her unhappy child. Ginny crossed the Atrium to the lifts and waited five minutes for a lift and when one came, she jumped on it.

"What level?" an old wizard with a hat asked.

"Two," Ginny replied.

"What a cute little girl!" an elderly witch said beside Ginny.

"Thank you," Ginny said, remembering her manners. "Sorry for the noise, we just came from St. Mungo's and they gave her some shots."

"Aw, poor little thing," the old witch cooed.

When the witch in the elevator announced level two, Ginny got off. She was walking to the Auror office when she heard.

"Ginny, what's wrong with Lily?"

Ginny turned and seen her father standing there. Arthur was heading back to his office after dropping off some paperwork from the raid he had done a week ago and had called Harry requesting Aurors. That meant arrests and more paperwork for Harry and Arthur.

"Hi Dad, I had to take her to Holly this morning and she was updated on her immunizations," Ginny explained.

Arthur reached for Lily. "Come here pretty girl." Lily went to Arthur, now only whimpering.

"It's okay, Granddad's got you," he soothed, careful not to touch where one of his little princess was given her shots.

Lily seemed to calm for a minute or so, long enough for Ginny to use the restroom and to fix Lily's hair.

Arthur held Lily for a few more minutes before returning her to Ginny.

"Go to Mummy, I think you'll see Daddy soon," Arthur told her. "I just came from there, he's in his office," he added.

Arthur kissed her and Ginny bye and returned to his office. Ginny walked to the Auror Department. By the time she made to the front desk of Auror Headquarters, Lily had returned to full volume.

Ginny walked pass the witch at the front desk and to Harry's office.

"Hi Maisy," Ginny greeted Harry's secretary.

"Immunizations?" Maisy asked.

Ginny shifted Lily to her other hip. "Yes, her one year shots," she explained. "Dad told me Harry's in his office."

Maisy swiveled in her chair, turning towards Harry's office. "He was when I was in there a minute ago."

"Thank you." Ginny walked passed Maisy's desk and headed to Harry's office.

Ron was standing outside Harry's door. He saw them coming or rather, heard Lily before he saw them.

"I told you Lily got Ginny's lungs," he commented to Harry.

Ginny approached her brother, and used her free hand to whack Ron in the head.

"She does not," Ginny retorted. Harry kept his comment to himself. He didn't want to end up sleeping up in the attic in Teddy's room because Ginny kicked him out of the bed.

Ron then noticed that Lily hadn't calmed down yet.

"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked.

"We got shots this morning," Ginny explained.

Ron turned his attention to Peters, who had come to see what the commotion was about.

"Watch this," Ron told him. The two Aurors stood there and watched the show.

Ginny stood there for a minute with a screaming Lily. Harry handed a file he was holding to another Auror and turned to Ginny.

Before he could reach for her, Lily reached for Harry. "Come here princess," Harry murmured. As soon as Lily was in Harry's arms, she stopped crying. No whimpering, no tears, no nothing. She was happy as a clam.

Peters laughed. "Wrapped around her little finger, huh boss?"

Harry turned to Peters, balancing Lily on a hip. "Come talk to me when Bianca has _your_ little girl."

Ron nodded. "She will at birth," he added. "She'll have you wrapped around her little finger."

Since her hands were free, Ginny massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Do you have anything for a headache in your office?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Help yourself," Harry told her. As she entered his office, he called over his shoulder, "Could you pick me up more thought?"

He heard Ginny mutter something and he looked down at Lily.

"You gave Mummy a hard a time today didn't you?" Lily's response was to stick out her tongue and blew a raspberry at her Daddy. That made Harry and Ron laugh, breaking some of the tension from that morning briefing.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Ginny walked out of Harry's office with a sigh. "That's better."

"Did you hear me when I asked you to pick me up…?"

"More headache potion," Ginny finished. "Yes, I did. I made a list of the potions you're out of and I'll pick it tomorrow when Mum has the kids."

Harry walked back into his office, Lily laid her head on his shoulder, dozing. A quick glance at the clock on his desk told him it was almost two, Lily's usual nap time.

"I'll help you take her to the car, I could get her in without waking her up," Harry whispered to Ginny, who nodded gratefully. The last time she had visited Harry with Lily close to nap time, Harry had made the mistake of handing her off to Ginny, waking her up in the process.

It took Ginny an hour to get Lily back to sleep because she wanted her daddy. The result later was Lily was extra clingy to Harry.

Ginny visited with Harry for another minute discussing the plans for Lily's birthday party that weekend.

As with all Weasley grandchildren, Lily's first birthday will be celebrated at the Burrow. Ginny managed to convince her mother to let her bake the cake Lily will smash and the one that everyone will eat. Molly agreed, since Ginny has insisted.

Harry's only request was that the day be only about Lily and wait and celebrate his birthday later. Molly quickly agreed, having discussed that very topic with Ginny.

Ginny knew that Harry wanted to give his children the childhood he was so badly neglected. When the kids birthdays came up, even Teddy's, Harry would go all out, without going overboard. Even thought he wanted to give his children everything he didn't have and not turn them into spoiled rotten children like his cousin.

"I think I better get her home," Ginny whispered, when she saw that it was past two.

Gently as he could, Harry got out of his chair and followed Ginny to the lifts.

"Maisy, I'm going to help Ginny with Lily. I'll be back in ten minutes," Harry informed his secretary.

Maisy nodded and went back to her filing.

Harry followed Ginny to the lifts and then to the visitors exit. It was similar to the entrance and they rode the phone booth up to the streets of London. Harry followed her to the car where Ginny opened the back door for Harry. He gently sat her in her car seat and buckled her in. He kissed her forehead softly and then quietly shut the door.

"I should be home early. Kingsley's head meeting is at three and it should only be an hour."

Ginny nodded, "Okay, I'm thinking about fixing that pasta dish Hermione gave me the recipe for and garlic bread for supper," she informed her husband.

"Sounds good," Harry replied.

They kissed each other goodbye and Harry watched as Ginny got in the car, started the engine and drove away, heading home to Godric's Hollow.

Harry returned to the Atrium by apparition and headed back to his office and collected his stuff.

He had slung his bag over his shoulder as he knocked on Ron's office door.

"Come on, Ron. Kingsley needs a word before the meeting starts," Harry called through the closed door.

Ron opened the door, his messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He closed his door and tapped his wand to the knob.

"What does Kingsley want?"

"I'm not sure," Harry answered. They headed for the lifts and to Kingsley's office.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry came through the back door that evening had apparated to the backyard. The smell of tomato sauce and basil greeted him when opened the door and entered the scullery. He stepped over the overflowing pile of laundry and entered the kitchen.

"Hey Babe," Ginny greeted, shutting the oven door. She wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and kissed him in greeting.

"How was Lily when you got home?" Harry asked.

"Still sleeping."

Harry nodded and headed into the family room.

"Hi boys," Harry called into the room over the cartoon on the television.

"Daddy!" the boys exclaimed.

"Have you been good for Mummy and Grandmum?"

"Uh huh," James replied, while Albus nodded.

"Supper's ready."

Harry led the boys into the bathroom where they washed their hands and headed back to the dining area of the kitchen.

"Where's Lily?"

No sooner than Harry got the question out, he felt little hands pull on his pants. He looked down and was met with the giggles of his little girl.

"There you are." He bent to pick her up and carried her to her highchair near Ginny's place at the table.

Harry listened to James and Albus recapped their day. Ginny stifled giggles when James told Harry about the mud fight in the backyard and how Molly was left to clean up both the boys and the mess they made from tracking the mud in from the side door in the scullery to the upstairs bathroom.

Molly had just finished cleaning the bathroom and put the boys down their nap when Ginny returned home with Lily.

"Mum stayed with them while I ran some errands and headed to the grocery," Ginny informed her husband. "I also ran into Diagon Alley, picked up the potions we needed and you needed at work from the apothecary. They're in a separate bag, remind me and I'll give them to after supper."

"Alright." Harry began wiping the tomato sauce off Albus's face. The two year howled in fury. "Too bad, buddy," he uttered, unsympathetically.

He lifted Albus out of his toddler chair. "Follow James to the family room and you can play until bath time," he told his offspring, sending off with a swat to his patted bum.

Ginny lifted Lily out of her high chair and handed her to Harry. He carried her into the family room and placed her in her playpen while Ginny cleaned the kitchen.

"How was work?" Ginny asked, trying to make conversation, while washing the dishes.

"We had the head meeting today. Kingsley had asked Ron and me to meet with him before the meeting."

"What did he want?" Ginny asked, giving Lily a bite of some of the pasta.

"He wanted to meet to discuss the Muggle Baiting case. As of right now, we got all those involved in Azkaban."

"Great," Ginny nearly squealed.

"There's a chance that it could crop up again, but not for a while. The trials will began next week, so I'll be home late most likely," Harry told her, replacing the milk in the refrigerator.

"I'll remember to have a dinner plate ready for you."

The rest of the conversation they had while the kids were playing was about Lily's birthday party.

After they finished cleaning the kitchen and getting some things ready for the next day, they headed to the family where Harry went to the couch and Ginny headed to the playpen.

"Alright, Lily. It's bath time for you."

The nightly routine they developed was Ginny would bath Lily, while Harry watched the boys. Then they would switch after Ginny brushed her teeth and dressed her.

By the time, Ginny was done, it was bath time for the boys. Ginny would have cuddle time with Lily while giving her the last bottle of the night. She could hear the boys laughing from the bathroom. Harry often told the boys stories during their bath, either from his life or something he made up.

Tonight was the story of when Uncle Ron, Uncle George and Uncle Fred saved their daddy from his evil uncle.

Ginny listened to the story closely, her heart breaking as she remembered that Harry didn't have a happy childhood like she did.

When the boy's bath was finished, they would head to James's room and story time continued, this time from a book or Harry would tell them another story.

"Again," she heard Harry say to his son. James must have asked Harry to read the Tale of Peter Rabbit again. Harry must have read the book a hundred times and she wouldn't be surprised if Harry could quote it without the book.

"Okay, Mama, your turn."

Ginny nearly jumped at Harry's voice. She wordlessly handed Lily to Harry and headed to James's room.

"Good night, Sweetheart. I love you," she murmured, kissing James's head.

"Night, Mummy." James was asleep before Ginny had picked up Albus and carried him to his bedroom.

"Did you like the story Daddy read tonight?" she asked, as she lowered Albus onto his bed.

"Yeah, is it my turn tomorrow night?"

"Yes, it is sweetheart. Good night. I love you," she cooed.

Albus was asleep as soon as Ginny handed him his stuffed hippogriff. She tucked him with his blanket and kissed his cheek.

She backtracked to James's room and found him asleep. She tucked the blankets around him and handed him the stuffed black dog. James snuggled with the dog without waking up.

Ginny bent down and kissed his cheek.

She returned to Lily's room and paused at the door. Harry was standing at the side of the cot, watching his daughter.

"Is she asleep?" Ginny whispered, as she approached her husband.

"Yeah, she's asleep," Harry returned. He bent over the side and kissed her forehead. Ginny followed and then together they left the room, turning off the lights and headed to their bedroom.

Harry flopped on the bed. "Tired?" Ginny asked, approaching the bed.

"Yeah," Harry murmured, taking off his glasses and scrubbing his face with his hands.

"Is it hard to believe it's been a year since Lily was born?" Ginny pondered.

"Yes," Harry replied. "Seems like yesterday she was still in my belly."

Ginny climbed in the bed and crawled over to where Harry was lying. She laid down beside him, her hand going to his stomach.

A year ago, his stomach was swollen with child, and now a year later and his stomach had returned to the pre-pregnancy shape, thanks to Healer Dalton and Harry's punishing work outs.

Ginny smiled as she thought of a how much had changed in the last year. But she wouldn't change a thing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ginny opened the door to her daughter's bedroom to find Lily standing up in her crib.

"Happy birthday, Lily. Today's your birthday, you are one!" she told her.

She lifted her out of the cot and carried her over to the changing table.

"Let's get you a clean nappy before we wake up Daddy."

Ginny quickly changed her nappy and then carried her into her and Harry's bedroom.

Ginny smiled to see her husband sleep. Harry was sound asleep, lying on his stomach, a habit that he adopted when he younger that he never broke .It seemed like only yesterday Harry couldn't do that, when his belly was full of the little girl she was carrying in her arms.

She sat Lily down on the bed. Harry had moved to the middle of the bed since she had woken up an hour ago to put finishing touching on the cake.

"Stay here and Mummy will be right back," Ginny ordered and headed to the bathroom, to wash her hands.

Lily looked around the room and found her father sleeping. She crawled over to where Harry was laying and climbed onto his back.

"Are you trying to wake up Daddy?"

Lily turned at her mother's voice and found Ginny standing next to the bed. She sat down on the bed and lifted Lily off Harry's back.

"Harry, baby, it's time to get up," Ginny soothed.

"Five more minutes," Harry grumbled.

"Okay," Ginny agreed. She turned to her daughter. "Come on birthday girl, we'll give Daddy five more minutes and then we'll send in James to wake up Daddy."

"I'm up," came Harry's voice from the bed. He pushed the covers back and sat up on his side of the bed.

"Good morning," Ginny greeted.

"Morning." He turned his attention to his daughter. "Good morning birthday girl, come here to Daddy."

Ginny transfer Lily into Harry's arms, so she could get a shower. Harry headed on downstairs.

Upon entering the kitchen he found two similar cakes, one smaller than the other.

"Looks like Mummy has your cakes ready," Harry noted.

The cakes were both chocolate with white icing. There were bags of changes of clothes for all the kids and Lily's present, wrapped and with protection charms around it waiting to be loaded in the car.

The ride to the Burrow would be about two hours, but thanks to the addition of the DVD playing in the SUV, the boys would be entertained while Lily would sleep all the way there.

When Ginny came downstairs with the boys, Harry headed up to take a quick shower and to change clothes while Ginny made breakfast.

"Happy birthday Sissy," Albus told his sister.

"Happy birthday," James added when he seen his sister.

Ginny was serving breakfast when Harry returned.

"Mummy, when are we going to Grandma and Granddad's?" James asked.

"After breakfast," Ginny answered.

The family dug into their pancakes and sausage, discussing the plans for the day.

When breakfast was over, Harry cleaned the kitchen and the breakfast dishes with a flick of his wand.

"I'll load the car, hon," he called to Ginny as she headed upstairs with Lily.

"Can I help?" James asked.

"Sure, take this." Harry handed him a bag of clothes for the kids if the need should arise that they need to change.

James helped Harry take the bags to the car. The trunk space in the SUV was small due to the third row. But because they didn't have Teddy and he would be going to the Burrow with Andromeda, Harry took out of the third row last night and moved James's booster seat to behind the driver seat and Lily's car seat to the passenger side. Albus was moved to the middle and because his car seat was exactly the same as James's the two boys can take turns sitting in the middle.

The extra room in the back, allowed easy transportation for the cakes, along with all the gear and stuff Ginny had packed to take the Burrow. There was room to spare for the mountain of presents Lily would probably get.

Harry came back in the scullery where Ginny had everything, except for the cakes, ready to be loaded in the car.

Ginny returned downstairs with Lily dressed in a pair of denim shorts, sandals and a pink shirt that had a cupcake with the number one on it.

"Lily's ready to go," Ginny informed them. It was pressing ten o'clock and they needed to be at the Burrow by noon.

"James, Albus, we're leaving," Ginny called to the two boys who were running around the back yard.

After securing the cakes, buckling in the kids and giving Harry strict instructions to drive slowly, they were off to the Burrow for Lily's party.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"We're here!" Ginny called into the house as she entered the back door with Lily on her hip.

Arthur was the first to greet them as he was helping Molly transport food from the kitchen to the back yard.

"There's the birthday girl," Arthur cooed, as Lily reached for her grandfather.

"Can you watch…."Ginny trailed off. Arthur knew what she was asking and nodded his head.

He headed into the kitchen with Lily on his hip.

"Look who I got," Arthur informed his wife.

Molly turned and smiled at the sight of her granddaughter. "Well, hello birthday girl," Molly greeted her granddaughter, kissing her cheek. "You're one already."

Ginny came into the kitchen with the cake Lily would smash, while Harry followed her with the big cake.

"Ginny, the cakes look wonderful," Molly complimented.

"Thanks Mum."

Harry headed out to the car to get the rest of their stuff.

"Hello Harry," a dreamy voice said behind him.

"Hi Luna," Harry returned.

Ron and Hermione pulled in behind Harry and Ginny's car, having signaled their arrival by loud wailing.

"What happened?" Harry asked Ron when the red head got out of the car.

"Hugo didn't want to be buckled into his seat and Rosie….." Ron trailed off as the two year old made a beeline for her uncle.

"Up, Uncle Harry," Rosie demanded. Harry swung the red headed girl into his arms.

"Are you ready for Lily's party?" Harry asked his niece.

"Yeah," Rosie nodded and looked around the yard, looking for a big blown up house. "Did Granddad blow up the house yet?"

"Not yet," Harry told her. A tug at his shorts, brought his attention to his youngest son.

"Up, Daddy," Albus requested.

With one arm, Harry picked up Albus. "Now what am I to do with you?" he asked the giggling toddlers. "Should I dump you in the pond?"

"NO!" the toddlers squealed.

"Then what?"

"Take us to the bounce house," Rosie said.

"Oh," Harry replied, pretending that he didn't know that. "Okay, I think Uncle Charlie has just finished it, want to go and play?"

"Yes," Rosie and Albus nearly shouted at the same time.

"Okay, go play," Harry told them, putting them down. He and Ron watched as Charlie was soon swarmed with kids.

Roxanne, Hugo, and Lucy choose to play in the sand box, under the watchful eye of Angelina and Audrey.

"Hard to believe it's been a year hasn't it," Ron sighed.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I was in labor at this time last year."

"Weird, isn't it?" Ron asked.

"It is." Harry and Ron watched the kids play and helped sat up the tables and chairs when Molly noticed they weren't doing anything.

"Harry, Ron, set the tables up for me please."

Without needing to be told twice, Harry and Ron headed to the shaded area of the yard and set up the tables where the family would eat lunch, listening to the giggles and squeals from the kids in the bounce house.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_Happy birthday to you…Happy birthday to you…Happy Birthday dear Lily…Happy birthday to you"_

After singing happy birthday to Lily, the family clapped and cheered as Lily (with Ginny's assistance) blew out the candle.

Harry was on the other side at Ginny's request, recording the blowing out the candle and digging into the cake.

Without prompting Lily stuck both hands in the cake and began to feed herself the cake while everyone else watched. Audrey and Hermione were cutting into the big cake to help Molly and Ginny out to serve the kids.

"Is it good, Lily Belle," Arthur asked, calling her by her pet name. Lily responded by getting a hand full of the cake and giving it to Arthur.

"Thank you, princess." Arthur kissed the top of her head. He looked up at Molly and they shared a smile. "Well, Molly, the last of our grandchildren turned one."

"I know," Molly said softly. She bent over to wipe off the chocolate Lily had gotten on her cheek.

Once Lily was done with the cake, Ginny took her into the house to clean her up. Molly followed to help.

"Hard to believe she's one isn't it?" Molly pondered.

"Harry was in labor with her at this time last year. I don't think I could thank him enough for…." Ginny trailed off, feeling the emotions well up in her.

"I know, Harry went thought a lot to bring her into this world."

Molly smiled with Lily looked up at her Grandma and smiled. "Are you ready for presents?" she asked her granddaughter, picking her up.

"Well, let's go. I think Daddy and Uncle Ron set them on the table in the shade."

Together the three Weasley women headed outside to where the rest of the family, ready for Lily to open presents.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harry watched his daughter sleep, leaning against the side of the cot. He'd spent many hours looking at James after he was born, finding it hard to believe he had a son and that he was a father. Now, he gazed at the sleeping toddler, feeling the same feelings he had on that night when they brought James home from the hospital and again the night after his first birthday.

But something was different this time.

This time, the child he was watching sleep, was a child that _he_ carried. It was _him _who suffered through morning sickness, watched as his belly grew bigger and bigger until he couldn't see his feet.

He suffered though almost nine hours of hard labor, after which he had a whole new found respect for every woman in the family and even said to Molly, "I don't know how you did that six times." Molly just smiled and rubbed his head.

He remembered the first time feeling her kick. When Ginny told her mother at the next Sunday lunch, Molly constantly was touching Harry's stomach (not that he minded considering all the kids had touched it as well). She smiled brightly and leaned down to the bump to say, "Hello sweet thing, this is your Grandma."

That brought tears to Ginny's eyes, and that was one thing that was different about Harry's pregnancy. He wasn't an emotional, blubbering mess like his wife and sister in laws were.

"Is she asleep?" a voice behind him whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Yeah, she's asleep."

Ginny stood beside him, watching their daughter. "I don't think I could ever thank you enough for bringing her into the world," she murmured.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Harry returned.

Ginny knew what Harry was referring to. The back rubs, words of encourage, the gentle hands pushing back his sweaty hair, the comforting embrace when the contractions got hard.

One day, Lily will learn all of this and what all her father went through to bring her into the world.

Harry was serious about what he said at his parent's grave, he would go through the pain, the morning sickness, the torture, everything, to bring another child in this world.

But luckily for him, Lily would be their last one.

"Good night, Lily," Ginny whispered, leaning over the cot to kiss her daughter good night. "I love you."

Harry followed her to their bedroom, having said his good nights to the kids before he put Lily in the cot.

Ginny sat on the bed, pull her hair up in a short ponytail. Harry headed to his side of the bed, pulling his shirt off as he went.

"My stomach wasn't this flat a year ago," Harry muttered, looking down at his bare stomach.

"No, but it is now," Ginny replied.

Harry flicked the lights off with his wand and snuggled up next to Ginny. Smiling at her snoozing husband, Ginny settled in bed beside her husband and went to sleep, dreaming of the happy family she had today.

She had a great family, a wonderful husband whom she loved dearly, two sons that even though they test her patience and her sanity, she wouldn't trade them for anything in the world, and a daughter that she had dreamed of having, a beautiful, red headed, little girl, whom had her daddy wrapped around her finger.

She would always be grateful to Harry for carrying their daughter…..a long nine months.

**AN: This is end of A Long Nine Months. Thank you to everyone who added this story to their favorites lists, alerts and have reviewed. Stay tuned for A Long Nine Months-The One Shots. **

**I hope you've enjoyed reading A Long Nine Months as much as I did writing it. **


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